Policy & Practice: Can the multilateral trade regime survive geopolitical tensions?

Can the WTO survive the US-China trade rivalry? Is the Russia-Ukraine war the beginning of the end of the multilateral trade regime? And how can Europe respond to these tensions? These are some of the questions this event will address. 

About the speakers 

Ignacio Garcia Bercero participated in the Uruguay Round negotiations that led to the establishment of the World Trade Organizations. Between 2001 and 2005, he headed the unit in the European Commission responsible for WTO dispute settlement. Since 2005, he has been Director in DG trade where, among other responsibilities, he was chief negotiator for the EU-Korea Free Trade agreement, the EU-India Free Trade agreement and the negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Ignacio is currently director for multilateral trade policy and strategy and is Visiting Professor at UCL’s School of Public Policy. 

Stephen Adams is Senior Director in advisory firm Global Counsel. He has more than 15 years of experience in European and British public policy and regulation, chiefly in the field of international economic policy. He has also been an Executive Director of Goldman Sachs International, based in London. Stephen is Senior Research Associate at UCL’s School of Public Policy. 

Chair: Professor Lauge Poulsen, Professor in International Relations and Law, UCL Department of Political Science

This is a hybrid event, and will take place at UCL and via Zoom.