Professor Reid Participates in Government Legal Department Trade Law Conference

Emily Reid, Professor of International Economic Law and Sustainable Development, recently participated in the Government Legal Department Trade Law Conference 2023. The theme of the conference was International trade law and business: tensions, synergies and future opportunities.

Emily was invited to be part of an expert Plenary panel discussing ‘The WTO and Green Transition’, together with Isabelle Van Damme, Partner, Van Bael and Bellis, and Dr. Jan Yves Remy, Director, Shridath Ramphal Centre, University of the West Indies.

The panel discussion, chaired by Matthew Holt, Treasury Legal Advisers, explored the role of the WTO in the green transition. Emily’s contribution focussed upon unilateral ‘green’ measures, in particular the issue of green subsidies, but also touching on core environmental standards. Emily highlighted both the challenges these encounter under WTO Law, and the challenges they pose in the multilateral trading system, particularly with regard to the imperative of just transition.