The International Economic Law and Policy Working Group (IELP WG) is a researcher-led, interdisciplinary initiative bringing together scholars that share an interest in the multifaceted world of international trade and investment law as well as economic integration and governance. As indicated by the name of the Working Group, we offer a forum to discuss not only economic law in the strict sense, but also interdisciplinary analyses of trade and investment policy. Being based at the European University Institute, we have a distinct, though not exclusive, focus on the European Union in the world.
Questions surrounding international economic law and policy are quickly evolving. In the past years, we witnessed the increased scrutiny of dispute settlement mechanisms in bilateral trade and investment agreements as well as in the WTO. The aftermath of the global financial crisis marked the beginning of a reassessment of global financial regulations. Furthermore, the potential role of trade agreements in the advancement of non-trade issues, such as human rights, labor rights and environmental protection, is also gaining momentum. All the while, the transition from a world based on a multilateral order to a division in regional blocs continues. These trends are but the tip of the iceberg as to what is to come for international economic law in a time of shifting power balances around the world that lead to the re-contestation of the traditional rules of the game.
Therefore, the IELP WG is dedicated to an open atmosphere that welcomes speakers and discussants with diverse backgrounds and original approaches to international economic law and policy. Practically, the Working Group offers a range of activities including workshops, conferences and guest lectures as well as a platform for researchers from and outside the EUI to present and discuss their work with peers.
The IELP WG benefits from the generous support of Prof. Joanne Scott and Prof. Sergio Puig. We continue the work of the former International Trade and Investment Law Working Group, building upon the efforts of our predecessor coordinators.
Working Group events in Academic Year 2025-2026
- 15 June 2026: 'The Rule of Domestic Law: The Role of EU Member States in International Trade in Services' with Dr. Tine Deschuytere (NUS Centre for International Law)
- 3 June 2026: Researchers’ presentations with Tim Ellemann, Tereza Kanova, Alexandre Lejeune and Bénédicte Meille (EUI Department of Law)
- 27 May 2026: Economic Statecraft Conference
- 30 April 2026: 'Book Talk: Economic Sanctions from Havana to Baghdad' with Prof. Joy Gordon (Loyola University Chicago)
- 29 April 2026: 'Understanding 'territory' in International Trade Law' with Dr. Olia Kanevskaia (Utrecht University) and Prof. Kate Ren (University of Dayton), co-organised with the International Law Working Group
- 31 March 2026: 'The 'international standards effect' in global technology regulation' with Dr. Olia Kanevskaia (Utrecht University) and Vittorio Franzese (University of Tubingen), co-organised with the Digital Public Sphere Working Group
- 13 March 2026: 'Emergency powers and trade: Trump’s tariffs after the Supreme Court’s IEEPA ruling' with Prof. Pierre-Hugues Verdier (University of Virginia) and Prof. Elizabeth Trujillo (University of Houston)
- 19 February 2026: 'Empowering growth: state aid and industrial policy in the European Union' with Dr. Dionysios Pelekis (Utrecht University), co-organised with the Competition Law Working Group
- 30 October 2025: 'International investment law and indigenous rights' with Prof. Céline Lévesque (University of Ottawa)
- 15 October 2025: 'How are foreign investors adapting to a changing world order?' with Dr. Szilárd Gáspár-Szilágyi (EUI)
Working Group events in Academic Year 2023-2024
- 4.10.2023, Issues of Timing and Pro-Claimant Bias in Arbitrator Selection
- 23.10.2023, International Organizations as Law-Makers – International Law in the Age of Institutions (with ILWG and Human and Fundamental rights WG)
- 16.11.2023, The EU's Transforming External Economic Relations Law: A Chinese Perspective (with EU Law WG)
- 04.12.2023, Mock December paper for 1st year researchers
- 05.12.2023, Roundtable – The political benefits of the monoculture. Estimating the electoral effect of the market facilitation programme (with Robert Schuman Centre, Global Governance Programme)
- 20.03.2024, International economic law: new approaches and issues (book launch with EYIEL, University of Exeter, DCU)
- 18.04.2024, Sustainable development chapters in EU free trade agreements
- 29.04.2024, The belt and road initiatives and geoeconomic order
- 06.05.2024, International Law in the energy transition (with Environmental Law WG and ILWG)
- 14.05.2024, Mapping Legal Forms and Outcomes of the EU-US Trade and Technology council (with INFOSOC WG)
- 22.05.2024, Mock May paper defence (with EU Law WG)
- 03.06.2024, 2nd and 3rd year researchers’ presentations
- 06.06.2024, Non-economic values in EU free movement law and international investment law (with EU Law WG)
- 07.06.2024, International Regulation of cross-border subsidies
- 10.06.2024, Constitutionalism and Transnational Governance Failures (with Constitutional Law WG)
- 11.06.2024 EU Trade and Investment treaty-making post-Lisbon
- 18.10.2024 Alessandro Petti, Research Fellow at the Centre for European law at the University of Oslo, Book Presentation on EU Neighbourhood Law
- 2.12.2024 Damian Chalmers, Geoffrey Bartholomew Professor at the National University of Singapore, presenting his work on “Turning Globalization upside down in the Global South”