Past events

Supply Chain Security Initiatives and Trade Facilitation. Do Security Initiatives Deliver on Their Promises or is it Just Too Much and All Too Soon? (2008-06-25)
This conference will present a new comprehensive study on security initiatives by the National Board of Trade in Sweden, bring together world experts to scrutinize evidence concerning costs and benefits of security-chain initiatives, and offer practical and realistic advice on the way forward. The floor will be open to all present to discuss the delicate balance between security and facilitation.
Venue: Hotel Silken, Berlaymont, Blvd Charlemagne 11-19, Brussels
Participants: John Cooke, Deputy Chairman , SITPRO, Mike Edbury, Director, BERR, UK, Fredrik Erixon, Director, ECIPE, Adrian van den Hoven, Director of International Relations, Business Europe, Joe Kelly, Deputy Director, Capacity Building Directorate, WCO, Johan Krafft, Deputy D-G, National Board of Trade, Sweden, Malcolm McKinnon, CEO, SITPRO, Daniel Mirza, Lecturer, University of Rennes, Research Fellow, CEPII, Johan Pontén, Analyst, National Board of Trade, Sweden, Miroslaw Zielinski, Director, Customs Policy, DG Taxud

Trade in Healthcare: Can Trade Remedy the Cost-Disease in European Health Care Systems? (2008-06-17)
As the first in an upcoming series, this conference launches ECIPE’s new project on trade and healthcare. In Europe, despite spiralling healthcare expenditures by national governments, health productivity continues to fall as beleaguered national health services struggle to cope with demand. Trade agreements say little about healthcare. Some international organizations are hostile to the idea of more trade in this sector, and err on the side of protectionism. Can the current crisis help understand how trade can be an integral part of healthcare provision? Presentations and papers from the conference>
Venue: First Euroflat Hotel, Boulevard Charlemagne 50, Brussels
Participants: Rolf Adlung, Senior Economist, WTO, Fredrik Erixon, Co-founder and director of ECIPE, Lior Herman, Research Associate at ECIPE, Patrick Messerlin, Professor, GEM, Science Po, Anders Morin, Director, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, Gernot Pehnelt, Research Associate at ECIPE, Peter Scherer, Head of Health Division, OECD

ECIPE Book Launch: Razeen Sally’s “Trade Policy, New Century” (2008-06-03)
Razeen Sally’s new book, “Trade Policy, New Century. The WTO, FTAs and Asia Rising,” has just been published by the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. The author will present the main insights and messages of his new work. Two discussants, one from academia and one from European policy-making circles will give their views on this new publication, which will be followed by an open debate.
Venue: Hotel Euroflat, Boulevard Charlemagne 50, Brussels, Belgium
Participants: Roderick Abbott, Erika Mann, Sylvain Plasschaert, Razeen Sally

ECIPE Conference: Will Asia Lead? (2008-05-22)
Asia is again at the centre of the world economy and world affairs. While the post-war period saw the surge of Japan, the 1980s the rise of the so-called Asian Tigers, we are currently witnessing the emergence, or re-emergence of China, and to a certain extent also of India. This conference will discuss the main “macro” trends in Asia, both economic and political.
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Boulevard Charlemagne 11-19, Brussels, Belgium
Participants: Deepak Lal, Professor of International Development Studies at the University of California, Guy de Jonquières, Senior Fellow ECIPE and Chatham House, former Financial Times Asia Commentator, Shada Islam, Senior Programme Executive, European Policy Centre, Razeen Sally, Director, ECIPE

The Multilateral Trade Regime: Which Way Forward? Discussion of the Report of the First Warwick Commission, 2007 (2008-05-07)
The report of the first Warwick Commission was published in late 2007, with the aim of sparking a lively and positive debate about the issues facing the world trade system today. The Warwick Commissions have been charged with carrying out independent analyses of issues of global importance, with the goal of making practical and realistic recommendations about how to move them forward. This discussion taking place in Brussels is part of a process of testing their first report against the realities of global trade and the problems that policymakers face.
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Boulevard Charlemagne 11 – 19, Brussels
Participants: Pierre Defraigne, Warwick Commissioner and Director of the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri), Richard Higgott, Director, The Warwick Commission and Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick, Pierre Sauvé, Warwick Commissioner and Senior Research Fellow at the World Trade Institute (WTI) in Switzerland, Dr Heribert Dieter, Warwick Commissioner and professor at the Free University of Berlin, Karl-F Falkenberg, Deputy Director General, DG Trade, Roberto Echandi, Costa Rican Ambassador to Brussels, Razeen Sally, Director of ECIPE, Dr. Manfred Elsig, Senior Research Fellow World Trade Institute, Bern

Book Forum: “India, the Emerging Giant” (2008-04-15)
Professor Arvind Panagariya will present his latest book, “India, the Emerging Giant” at Book Forum organised by ECIPE in association with Sciences Po. Razeen Sally, Director of ECIPE, and professor Mathew Tharakan will comment and discuss this path breaking work, which constitutes a key to understanding the rise of India in the world economy.
Venue: Hotel Euroflat: Boulevard Charlemagne 50, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Participants: Professor Arvind Panagariya, SIPA, Columbia University, P.K.M. Tharakan, Professor Emeritus of the University of Antwerp, Professor Patrick Messerlin, GEM, Razeen Sally, Director ECIPE

Should Europe really worry about its trade deficit with China? (2008-04-15)
ECIPE invites you to a lunch discussion on EU-China trade and economic relations. In a new paper ECIPE’s Senior Fellow Andreas Freytag has analysed trade data to get a better understanding of what has happened in EU-China trade relations over the last decade. The result is surprising and challenges the established view that the soaring bilateral deficit is explained by currency manipulation.
Venue: Hotel Euroflat: Boulevard Charlemagne 50, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Participants: Dr. Andreas Freytag

The WTO: Past, Present and Future – Putting the Problems in Perspective (2008-03-27)
With a faltering Doha Round, the future of the multilateral trading system is at stake. Taking a historical perspective can be a useful way of bringing in new perspectives in current discussions on the future of the WTO. Reports will be presented followed by commentaries by key discussants.
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont Boulevard Charlemagne 11 – 19, Brussels
Participants: Roderick Abbott, Former Deputy Director General of the WTO, Patrick Low, Chief Economist (Director of Economic Research and Statistics) at the World Trade Organization, Peter Kleen, Senior Fellow of ECIPE and Trade Policy Consultant, Lars Anell, Chairman of ICC’s Commission on Trade and Investment Policy; former Chairman of the GATT, Patrick Messerlin, Professor, GEM, Sciences Po, Signe Ratso, Director Responsible for WTO Affairs, DG Trade, European Commission

Kazakhstan and the World Trade Organization: Foreign Economic Diplomacy And CIS Integration into the World Economy (2008-03-26)
This conference will take a comprehensive look at Kazakhstan, its WTO accession and integration into the world economy. Kazakhstan is hailed by the IMF and others as a success story in terms of ‘becoming a globaliser’, but what does this really mean? How might WTO accession facilitate the process and how will Kazakhstan’s choice of strategy affect this politically charged region?
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Boulevard Charlemagne 11 – 19, Brussels
Participants: Ms. Zhanar Aitzhanova, Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, Kazakhstan, Roderick Abbott, Former Deputy Director General of the WTO, Arastou Khatibi, Research Associate of ECIPE, Department of Economics at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL)., Brian Hindley, Senior Fellow, ECIPE, and lead author, of ECIPE’s new study on Kazakhstan’s WTO accession, Dr. Svante Cornell, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Programme, Ms. Signe Ratso, Director Responsible for WTO Affairs, OECD and Food Related Sectors, Fredrik Erixon, Director and co-founder of ECIPE

ECIPE Conference: Trade Facilitation and the WTO: How to Foster Reform and Capacity in Developing Countries? (2008-01-15)
Trade facilitation initiatives hold greater potential benefits in terms of promoting trade, than many traditional market access initiatives. What is less clear is how this should be achieved . At this seminar, noted trade economist Michael Finger will present his new ECIPE study on the role of a WTO agreement in promoting trade facilitation. Finger outlines what measures would be of most benefit to developing and emerging markets and what would be feasible, before looking at the potential obstacles to a successful and meaningful WTO agreement. With contributions from high-level panellists, the debate should be stimulating, in this highly topical area of current trade negotiations.
Venue: Hotel Euroflat, Blvd Charlemagne 50, 1000 Brussels
Participants:

The Role of Internet for Globalisation (2007-12-05)
Globalisation is often portrayed in the language of economics. Explanations of global economic integration in the last decades – a period when economic integration has been stronger than ever in economic history – often point to the increased use of comparative advantages. The seminar will be based on a new ECIPE studies examining policies that enable a stronger effect of internet services on globalisation.
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Blvd Charlemagne 11-19, Brussels
Participants: Roderick Abbott, Charles E. Crouch, Cornelia Kutterer, Ewa Synowiec, Gernot Pehnelt and Fredrik Erixon

Lunch seminar: Has Globalisation Reduced Inflation in Europe? (2007-12-04)
Two of the most remarkable trends in the last two decades have been the considerable slow down in inflation rates and the increasing globalisation. We know that these two trends have been correlated, but exactly how has globalisation affected inflation? At this seminar Gernot Pehnelt will present his forthcoming paper on globalisation and inflation. Gernot Pehnelt is a Research Associate at ECIPE and an associated scholar at the Friedrich-Schiller-University
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Belliard 4-6, Brussels
Participants: Gernot Pehnelt,Research Associate at ECIPE and an associated scholar at the Friedrich-Schiller-University

Lunch seminar: Whither EU-Israeli Economic and Trade Relations? (2007-12-03)
EU and Israel are negotiating a new cooperation agreement, but negotiations have not yielded any substantial result. In what direction are EU-Israeli trade relations moving, fundamentally and politically, and what are the prospects for increased trade integration? Lior Herman, a Research Associate at ECIPE and a visiting lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will present his recent research on EU and Israeli trade policy.
Venue: Rue Belliard 4-6 – 1040 Brussels – 7th Floor
Participants: Lior Herman

Conference: Stepping into Asia's Growing Markets (2007-11-06)
With Asia’s rise in the world economy commercial ties between Asia and the EU have dramatically increased over the last decades. The EU has launched a new strategy towards Asia focused on gaining better access to Asian markets and promoting its commercial interests. ECIPE’s conference is a first stock-taking of the EU’s policy trends and discussions on how to best move forward in the near future.
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont -Brussels, Belgium
Participants: Ignacio Garcia-Bercero, Director, EU Commission, DG Trade, Guy de Jonquières, former Asia and World Trade Editor of the Financial Times, Yin Zonghua, People’s Republic of China to the European Union, Professor Patrick Messerlin, Sciences Po, Dr Razeen Sally, Director, ECIPE and Dr Claude Barfield, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute.

WTO Public Forum (2007-10-05)
Venue: WTO headquarters in Geneva — Centre William Rappard
Participants: Fredrik Erixon, Razeen Sally, Rengang Huang, Patrick Messerlin, Roderick Abbott

EUROPEAN COMPETITIVENESS AND ANTIDUMPING POLICY (2007-10-02)
The European economy has changed profile in the last decades. Globalisation has enabled firms in Europe – and all across the world – to enhance its production structure by breaking up the supply chain. Trade and sourced production are integral parts of the entire chain of production. We are trading in tasks rather than in finished goods.
Venue: Brussels, Hotel Silken Berlaymont , Boulevard Charlemagne 11–19
Participants: Peter Balas, Ewa Björling, Fredrik Erixon, Brian Hindley, Henrik Isakson, Lena Johansson, Peter Kleen, Johan Krafft, Patrick Messerlin, Cliff Stevenson, Hylke Vandenbussche, Edwin Vermulst

Facing the Challenges of Globalization – Electorate's Responses in France and Sweden (2007-06-28)
Globalization has put pressure on European governments to reform their economies. Yet change has been slow. Unemployment has been at unsustainable levels for decades. Sweden and France have recently changed governments and signalled a new direction for policy.
Venue: ECIPE, Brussels
Participants: Maria Rankka, Zaki Laïdi

Summer reception (2007-06-20)
The summer has arrived to Brussels – and ECIPE has just celebrated its first six months of existence. It would be a great pleasure for us to have you and other friends – old, new and future friends – at our Summer Reception to celebrate the arrival of summer (and of us...).
Venue: ECIPE, Rue de Luxembourg 3, Ground Floor
Participants: Alan Beattie

EU-Africa Trade Relations: Why so Difficult? (2007-06-19)
In a new Jan Tumlir Policy Essay Peter Draper, a Senior Fellow of ECIPE and a Research Fellow of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), unfolds the current EPA negotiation process with clarity and subtlety.
Venue: ECIPE, Brussels
Participants: Peter Draper

ECIPE Book Forum: Good Faith in the Jurisprudence of the WTO (2007-06-13)
In a new book Dr. Marion Panizzon of the World Trade Institute in Bern analyses the case law of WTO dispute settlement practice to get a closer picture of the concepts of "good faith" in WTO jurisprudence.
Venue: ECIPE, Brussels
Participants: Dr. Marion Panizzon, Roderick Abbott

The G-8 summit in Heiligendamm (2007-05-24)
In early June Germany hosts the annual G-8 summit. This summit meeting is an occasion for Germany to demonstrate the profile of its foreign economic policy. Germany is an inexperienced leader of multilateral economic policy, but has now stepped out of the post-Cold War context of entrenched regionalism.
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Fredrik Erixon

Impacts of Free Trade Agreements – Lessons from Australia (2007-05-22)
The Australian experience of Free Trade Agreements increasingly is relevant for Europe as the EU now has launched new FTA negotiations with several countries in Asia. Australia has been active on the FTA front in the Asian region. It has signed FTAs with Singapore and Thailand, and is currently negotiating with countries such as China and Japan.
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Dr. Lisa Gopp

Prospects for EU-Asia Free Trade Agreements (2007-05-07)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Razeen Sally

European Union policy towards Free Trade Agreements (2007-05-04)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Stephen Woolcock

Assessing Europe's trade-policy strategy (2007-04-25)
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Blvd Charlemagne 11-19 Brussels
Participants: Patrick Messerlin, Gaspar Frontini, Jim Rollo

Immigrants: your country needs them (2007-03-20)
Venue: Hotel Leopold, Rue Du Luxembourg 35, Brussels
Participants: Philippe Legrain, Stefano Bertozzi, Fredrik Erixon

IIlegal logging – a green attack on the WTO and developing countries? (2007-02-09)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Alan Oxley

Debt Relief and Changing Governance Structures in Developing Countries (2007-02-07)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Dr Andreas Freytag

A German Agenda for its G-8 Presidency (2007-02-06)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Sir Nicholas Bayne, Dr Andreas Freytag, Dr Werner Mussler, Dr Razeen Sally, Mr Lutwin Strauch

EU-Asia Trade Relations (2007-02-01)
Venue: Square du Meeûs 30, Ground Floor, Brussels (Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU)
Participants: Mr. Fredrik Erixon, Dr. Mari Pangestu, Dr. Razeen Sally

Are Developing Countries Deterred from Using the WTO Dispute Settlement System? (2007-01-23)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Roderick Abbott, Kerry Allbeury, Mateo Diego-Fernandez, Fredrik Erixon, Signe Ratso

Anti-dumping policy in the European Union (2006-12-11)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 1, Brussels
Participants: Dr. Olivier Cadot, Mr. Fredrik Erixon, Dr. Brian Hindley, Mr. Johan Krafft, Dr. Fritz Harald Wenig

Whither EUs FTA Policy? (2006-11-22)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Brussels
Participants: Mr. Roderick Abbott, Mr. Fredrik Erixon, Dr. David Kernohan, Mr. Joakim Reiter, Dr. Jim Rollo, Dr. Steve Woolcock

The Eurasian Growth Paradox (2006-11-21)
Venue: ECIPE, Rue Du Luxembourg 3, Floor 7, Brussels
Participants: Dr. Anders Åslund

The ECIPE Launch Conference (2006-11-07)
Venue: Hotel Silken Berlaymont, 11–19 Boulevard Charlemagne, Brussels
Participants: Razeen Sally, Fredrik Erixon, Johan Norberg, Meghnad Desai, Alejandro Jara, Marcus Wallenberg, Patrick Messerlin, Roderick Abbott, Andreas Freytag, Brian Hindley, Ignacio Garcia-Bercero, Pierre Sauvé, Peter Draper