'SHAPE': Enquiring into the Forces Shaping Subsidy and State Aid Laws

A Workshop on Law, History and Political Economy

This workshop marks the start of a new ambitious research project. The aim is to explore the forces that have shaped subsidy regulation in the 20th and early 21st centuries. This will enable a full understanding of the origin and development of treaty and legal language, of judicial decisions and the reasons/formulas they employ.

Although the main focus will be on the GATT/WTO and EU systems, attention will also be paid to other experiments, like the Brussels Sugar Convention, as well as to the discussions within the League of Nations. The seminar is intended to be an informal brainstorming exercise and will convene in Birmingham some of the best experts and players in subsidy and State aid laws. It has two main goals. First, the research team hope to receive valuable feedback on the research project, its scope, design and methodology. Secondly, each expert will present a brief input statement (10 minutes) as catalyser for a broader discussion with the other experts in the context of various thematic panels.

Organizers: Luca Rubini (Birmingham Law School), Petros C. Mavroidis (Columbia and EUI), Bernard Hoekman (EUI), Juan-Jorge Piernaz Lopez (University of Murcia) and Mona Pinchis (KCL)

The programme is now available.

The workshop is jointly organized by Birmingham Law School and the Institute of European Law, University of Birmingham, and the Global Governance Programme of the European University Institute.

The event is kindly sponsored by: Sidley Austin LLP and Van Bael & Bellis

Confirmed participants include:

• Roderick Abbott (formerly EU and WTO)
• Philippe de Baere (Partner, Van Bael & Bellis)
• Andrea Biondi (King’s College London)
• Jacques Bourgeois (Wilmerhale)
• Jose-Luis Buendia-Sierra (Guarrigues and King’s College London)
• Eduardo Chikusa (Brazil, Chairman of Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, WTO)
• Terry Collins-Williams (formerly Canadian government)
• Michelle Cini (University of Bristol) 
• Dominic Coppens (Sidley Austin)
• Bill Davey (University of Illinois – Urbana Campaign)
• Gerard Depayre (formerly EU Commission)
• Claus-Dieter Ehlermann (Wilmerhale; formerly EU Commission and Appellate Body, WTO)
• Robert Elliott (University of Birmingham)
• Michael Finger (formerly World Bank)
• James Flett (EU Commission)
• Douglas Irwin (Darmouth College)
• John Greenwald (Cassidy Levy and Kent)
• Malcolm Harbour OBE (formerly European Parliament)
• Bernard Hoekman (EUI)
• Gary Horlick (Georgetown)
• Anthony Howe (University of East Anglia)
• Gary Hufbauer (Peterson Institute)
• Sir Francis Jacobs (King’s College London)
• Mark Koulen (WTO)
• Petros Mavroidis (Columbia University and European University Institute)
• Arjen Meij (formerly General Court of the European Union)
• Damien Neven (Graduate Institute)
• Hugo Paemen (Hogan Lovells)
• Juan Jorge Piernas Lopez (University of Murcia)
• Mona Pinchis (King’s College London)
• Elisabetta Righini (King’s College London)
• Luca Rubini (University of Birmingham)
• Koen Van de Casteele (EU Commission)
• Vincent Verouden (E.CA Economics GmbH)
• Sir Stephen Wall (University College London)
• Peter Williams (formerly EU Commission)
• Jan Woznowski (formerly WTO)