Photo of Luca Rubini

Dr Luca Rubini’s monograph, The definition of subsidy and State aid: WTO law and EC law in comparative perspective, published by Oxford University Press in 2009, will be translated into Chinese to be part of the collection The Series of Essentials of European Law of China Legal Publishing.

The goal of this series is to introduce influential publications on European Law to the Chinese academia.

‘This is a tremendous recognition of the worth of the analysis of the book after more than 7 years since it was published’ – says Luca Rubini, Reader in International Economic Law - ‘This monograph was, and to a large extent still is, the first conceptual analysis of the difficult legal and policy issue of the definition of subsidy, also through a comparison between the two different legal systems. The law is not fully up-to-date, but the underlying analysis certainly is. This justifies its long life-shell and this continuing interest. The Definition of subsidy was also cited in the WTO Panel Report in 2013  and has been well received in both academic and policy circles, as illustrated by the following reviews: 

“Luca Rubini does a masterful job at breaking his subject down and building it back up again, skilfully placing the constituent elements of subsidy and state aid in the legal, economic, and policy contexts in which they operate.” Todd Friedbacher, World Trade Review (2010), pp 682-684; 

“Rubini’s volume promises to have a long shelf life. It is an essential reference for policy officials, jurists and practitioners alike.” Gary Hufbauer, Journal of International Economic Law (2010) 1145-1147; 

 “… an impressive and masterful study … Many of the findings of Rubini’s book present valuable signposts on the road to better, more consistent and more effective international rules and control mechanisms …”. Jan A. Winter, Common Market Law Review (2014) 1039-1042;

“In the last decade or so …  the research literature has reached a level of prominence and sophistication to match other areas of EU law (let alone competition law). Consider, for instance, Rubini’s monograph on the definition of subsidy in State aid and WTO law. This is not the kind of literature that one keeps in an office only to be consulted for immediate application when the need arises: it is the kind of book that can be read outside office hours, and without being ashamed of doing so...” Francesco De Cecco, European State Aid Quarterly (2013) 429.

See Simon Lester’s review in the International Economic Law blog: