The Chair of International, European and Public Law of the University of Dresden and the affiliated research project “Global TranSAXion” are pleased to announce a two day international conference on

Mega-Regionals and the Future of International Trade and Investment Law (23-24 October 2014).

The conference will focus on the preferential trade agreements currently being negotiated between some of the world’s main trading partners. These include the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Negotiating Governments expect considerable economic benefits to flow from the large-scale abolition of trade and investment barriers. As the contours of these “mega”-agreements emerge, however, doubts are cast on the future of multilateralism in the international economic order and the international trade and investment regime finds itself confronted with new challenges. The sweeping elimination of non-tariff barriers, for example, has left consumers and civil society uneasy: concerns range from hormone beef to hydraulic fracturing. The CETA, TTIP and TPP reflect a novel approach to global trade relations by virtue of their economic impact, broad sectoral coverage and provisions on investor-state dispute settlement. International scholars and practitioners will discuss these developments and their policy-implications from both an international trade and investment law perspective. more