Call for Papers for a Conference on The Financial Crisis, EMU and the Stability of Currencies and the Financial System University of Victoria Canada 30 September-2 October 2010 On 30 September-2 October 2010 a conference on “The Financial Crisis, EMU and the Stability of Currencies and the Financial System” will be held at the University of Victoria (UVic), B.C. Canada. We are seeking contributions from junior and senior scholars and graduate students who are working on any aspect of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the Financial Crisis. We are particularly interested in receiving papers on the following themes: EMU and the Financial Crisis, Non-EMU members and the Financial Crisis; Financial crisis effect on Governance in the EU; future of national currencies. Potential presenters should submit a (draft) paper that should also include an abstract. The applicant should provide the name of the author(s), university affiliation, contact information and indicate who will be attending the conference. Please send your paper by email to assemd@uvic.ca and include in the subject header: “Submission September 2010 conference”. Deadline: Papers should arrive no later than 1 September 2010. Prospective participants will be notified no later than 7 September 2010. A small number of travel grants may be offered to presenters who have limited access to funds (in particular graduate students). Any such travel grant will only pay for part of the travel costs. Participants will need to obtain their own additional financial resources. The conference organizers offer to pay for accommodation for selected presenters whilst at the conference. Those needing financial support should indicate this in their application. This conference is sponsored in part by the European Commission through a grant to UVic’s European Union Centre of Excellence, the University of Victoria and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). More information can be found on http://web.uvic.ca/jmc. You may also email Assem Dandashly (assemd@uvic.ca) or Amy Verdun (averdun@uvic.ca).     

SIEL E-Newsletter  - Number 12  (August 2010)

This is the twelfth SIEL newsletter, the others may be found at the news section of the SIEL website  - www.sielnet.org.

This Newsletter includes information on:

-           The Venue for the SIEL 2012 Biannual Conference

-           The SIEL 2010 Barcelona Conference

-           The SIEL 2010 AGM

-           The 2009 SIEL/CUP Prize Essay Competition Details

-           Other IEL Activities

-           Comings and Goings

I.          The SIEL 2012 Conference Venue

At the SIEL 2009 AGM, held in London in December, with people calling into attend by teleconference, it was decided that if possible the venue for the 2012 Biennial conference should be decided in 2010, ideally by the time of the 2010 conference, and that it should be held outside Europe and North America  - too often the location for global conferences. 

Accordingly, a committee, headed by Tomer Broude, was established to solicit and consider bids to hold the conference.  The committee included individuals from within and outside the Executive Council (the “Excon”), reflecting diversity of location and expertise. Its members were: Lorand Bartels, Galina Zukova, Colin Picker, Meredith Kolsky Lewis, Henry Gao, Ricardo Ramirez, and Dorica Phiri. We would like to thank them for their hard work in soliciting and examining many very high quality bids. 

After completing its hard work, the committee handed its findings and considerations over to the Executive Council for the ultimate decision on the venue.  Both the committee and Council appreciated the long and hard work of all the institutions that proposed bids.  It was gratifying to see such interest in our new organization.

After taking into account lessons learned from the most recent conference, and reviewing and discussing the work of the committee, the Council has now come to a decision. 

We are pleased to announce that the SIEL 2012 conference will be held in Singapore and hosted by the National University of Singapore’s Centre for International Law (CIL) (www.cil.nus.edu.sg) and Faculty of Law (www.law.nus.edu.sg).  (Professor Michael Ewing-Chow represented NUS in presenting its proposal.)  We anticipate that the SIEL 2012 Singapore conference will take place in July 2012.  The exact dates will be determined in the near future. Please refer to either the SIEL website (www.sielnet.org) or to the CIL’s website www.cil.nus.edu.sg/siel2012/ for updates.

II.          The SIEL 2010 Barcelona Conference

The SIEL 2010 conference, hosted by the IELPO Program at the University of Barcelona was a great success.  About 250 participants from across the globe attended, with presenters and attendees from all regions of the world.  Almost one hundred speakers gave presentations, and many of the draft papers can be found on SSRN (http://www.ssrn.com/link/SIEL-2010-Barcelona-Conference.html).

In addition to papers, IEL regional and interest groups and organizations held meetings at the conference.  In addition to the substantive knowledge shared, many close ties and connections were made and renewed – often over what may have been the best coffee ever served at a conference.  Indeed, the IELPO hosts, led by Ramon Torrent, Laura Gomez Bustos and Diego Gutierrez and assisted by a host of IELPO Program student volunteers made the whole experience terrific. 

Finally, the key note lectures perfectly captured the breadth and scope of the key issues within IEL today.  In particular, the opening of the conference, with the Robert Hudec Lecture delivered by Professor Joseph Weiler’s stunning talk, held at one of Barcelona’s jewels, the baroque Salo de Cent, will clearly be remembered by all who attended.

Once again, thanks to all that helped and attended.  We would like to post pictures from the event.  If you have any you would like to share, please send them to Colin at (c.picker@unsw.edu.au).  We are also interested in feedback on the conference, so that we can make any necessary improvements for the next conference.  Please send your comments and suggestions to Freya Baetens at f.baetens@law.leidenuniv.nl.

III.       The SIEL 2010 AGM

In accordance with the SIEL Articles, an Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) was held for 2010.  The AGM took place during the SIEL 2010 Barcelona conference and was well attended.  Indeed, the SIEL members engaged in lively discussion and debate on many of the issues raised at the meeting.  Specifically, the following business was covered:

            A.        Elections of new officers and members of the SIEL Executive Council. 

After initial presentation of the nominations for those positions by the Nominating Committee, there was a lively discussion over the process to be followed in future years with respect to numbers presented for consideration.  The Excon has created a committee to look at this issue more closely and to develop a protocol for future elections in keeping with the views expressed at the meeting.  This protocol will be circulated for comment after the committee has completed its work.

After the discussion, nominations for the vacant positions were solicited from the members and then the elections were held in closed ballot.  The results were as follows:

Meredith Kolsky Lewis was elected to serve as Executive Vice President (a position that will be shared with Colin Picker); Federico Ortino was elected to serve as SIEL Treasurer (a position that will be shared with Galina Zukova); Amelia Porges was elected to serve as SIEL Secretary (a position that will be shared with Michelle Ratton Sanchez); and

Freya Baetens, Julia Ya Qin and Tania Voon were elected to the Executive Council, to fill one vacant seat and two seats vacated by Melaku Desta and Bhupinder Chimni – our thanks to Melaku and Bhupinder for their service on the Council.

B.        Other Business

1.         At the start of the AGM, Andrew Lang was formally thanked for his role and hard work in founding and leading the SIEL over the last three years.  A plaque was presented, which additionally noted that the SIEL Executive Council had voted to confer lifetime membership on Andrew is recognition of his service.

2.         The 2012 Venue process was discussed and suggestions were made that in future there should be both an open and solicited bid process.  The Executive Council will be considering the issue in the context of the 2014 venue selection process and will report back to members on the issue.

3.         Krzysztof Pelc was recognized for his achievement in winning the SIEL/CUP 2009 Prize,  for his article “Eluding Efficiency: Why Do We Not See More Efficient Breach at the WTO?”, which will be published in a forthcoming issue of the World Trade Review.

IV.       2010 SIEL/CUP Prize Essay on IEL: Competition & Submission Details

A prize has been established by the Society of International Economic Law and Cambridge University Press for the best essay submitted on any topic in any field of international economic law.

The competition is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students and those who have graduated no earlier than five years before the submission deadline. Members of the SIEL Executive Council may not submit entries. The essay may not have been previously published.

The prize consists of £200, as well as £300 of Cambridge University Press book vouchers and a three year subscription to the World Trade Review. The winning essay will be submitted to the World Trade Review for publication.

            Terms and conditions

Entries must be written in English and should follow the style-sheet for the World Trade Review. Entries should not exceed 8,000 words, including references, footnotes, tables, appendices, etc. Entries must be submitted in Word format with a cover sheet containing the title of the entry, name and contact details. The essay itself must contain no identifying information other than the title. Entries should be submitted using the following form: https://siel.wufoo.com/forms/sielcup-prize-for-an-essay-on-intl-economic-law/   The deadline for submission is 30 September 2010 (17:00 GMT). Essays may be submitted from 7 September 2010.

The prize will be awarded by the SIEL Executive Council on the recommendation of a Prize Committee drawn from its members and the Editorial Board of the World Trade Review. Decisions of the Prize Committee on the winning essay and on any conditions relating to this prize are final and no correspondence will be entered into. Publication of the essay in the World Trade Review will be subject to the WTR’s normal review and decision procedure, but the WTR Editorial Board commits to expediting consideration with a view to early publication. For clarification, essays with a focus on international commercial arbitration or EU law will not be considered for this Prize.

Any queries should be addressed by email to Dr Lorand Bartels, University of Cambridge (lab53@cam.ac.uk).

V.        Other IEL Activities

            A.        Women in IEL Group Meeting Report

The Women in International Economic Law (WIEL) interest group met on Thursday 8th July in Barcelona at the conference. This group first met in Geneva in 2007, but unfortunately, various commitments on the part of organizers had slowed progress in the group's activities since then. At this, the second meeting of the group, various ideas were discussed as to how the group could be developed so as to be relevant and useful. A key proposal was that the group should not focus only on women, but that it should primarily exist to undertake outreach activities. Outreach would have two key dimensions. First, it would extend to those who might not consider joining SIEL or who would not attend conferences and other events (including for example, women, students, and academics from developing countries). Second, outreach within SIEL could encompass various activities such as networking and mentoring to help to foster a supportive IEL community. Two priorities were identified at the meeting: the development of a website space which will include a discussion forum, and the introduction of an informal mentoring programme. All queries and suggestions are welcomed and should be directed to either Freya Baetens (f.baetens@law.leidenuniv.nl) or Tracey Epps (tracey.epps@mfat.govt.nz).

            B.        Special Issue of Transnational Dispute Management

Walid Ben Hamida and Todd Weiler, will be editing a TDM Special Issue

covering intersections between investment treaty law and the WTO

world.  They welcome submissions from SIEL members.  The call for papers can be found here.  http://www.transnational-dispute-management.com/news/news_detail.htm?v

C.        New Zealand Centre of Int’l Economic Law (NZCIEL) Conference

The NZCIEL is holding a conference entitled Trade, Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Assets of Indigenous Peoples: The Developmental Frontier from Wednesday 8th – Friday 10th December 2010.

Knowledge assets have come to play an increasingly important role in global, regional and national markets. For indigenous people their traditional knowledge is a unique and multidimensional asset. Such assets offer developmental possibilities. If these developmental possibilities are to be realized new institutional and governance approaches will have to evolve that are responsive to the needs and preferences of indigenous peoples. This conference will discuss the linkages between trade, intellectual property, traditional knowledge assets (including traditional cultural expressions) and the development aspirations of indigenous peoples. What are the broader institutional and governance issues that will need to be considered if flourishing indigenous business enterprises based on traditional knowledge assets are to become a reality? The conference aims to share knowledge, ideas and experience of how markets and trade affect indigenous peoples and ways in which indigenous peoples might harness economic opportunities to benefit from and support their unique heritage of knowledge. The conference will have a particular focus on New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Australia.

D.        International Trade Law Symposium, Canberra, September 2010

The International Trade Law Symposium 2010 is being held on 10-11 September in Canberra.  The event is co-organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Law Council of Australia, and the Attorney-General’s Department, and aims to bring together academics, judges, private and public practitioners with an interest in international economic and trade law for a stimulating and interactive series of eight sessions on topical issues in international economic and trade law.  This year’s sessions will include:

• the future of bilateral/plurilateral trade agreements & ambitions of WTO-plus;
• the relationship and tensions between international trade law and climate change;
• the cross-application of jurisprudence in international trade and investment disputes;
• international arbitration in Australia;
• transnational litigation;
• international trade law in the information age;
• fisheries and international trade law; and
• consumer rights in the global economy.

Please contact Joe Forbes at the Law Council of Australia on (02) 6246 3753 or by email on joe.forbes@lawcouncil.asn.au for further information and to register for the event.

            E.        The Law & Development Institute Inaugural Conference

The Law and Development Institute will hold its inaugural conference on October 16, 2010. The Law and Development Institute (LDI) is a new international academic network established as a non-profit research institution in Sydney, Australia, with an objective of promoting law and development studies and projects. Law and development concerns the impacts of law on economic and social development, and the LDI aims to become an international centre for law and development studies. More information on the LDI is available on its website, www.lawanddevelopment.net

The inaugural conference, titled "Future of Law and Development Studies, International Trade Law and Developing Countries" will hold three panels and feature speeches by twelve scholars from several countries on future directions of law and development studies and development dimensions of international trade law. The speakers include Professor Gary Horlick, former Head of U.S. Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Professor Mitsuo Matsushita, former member of the World Trade Organization Appellate Body, Professor Y.S. Lee, Director of the Law and Development Institute and former Associate Professor of Law at the University of Sydney, Dr. Tomer Broude of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Dr. Malcolm Cook, Director of East Asia Program, the Lowe Institute for International Policy.

The LDI conference website, www.ldiconference.net, includes detailed information about the conference, including the conference schedule, speakers and presentations. If you wish to attend the conference, please complete the online registration at http://lawanddevelopment.net/registration.php. The LDI says that the seats are limited, and that it is receiving large numbers of enquiries and therefore it encourages the completion of the online registration as soon as possible.

Please do not hesitate to contact via email the LDI (administrator@lawanddevelopment.net) should you have any further queries.

VI.       Comings and Goings

In a new feature beginning with this newsletter, we will announce SIEL members’ job changes, visiting positions, and other comings/goings which you may like to share.  If you have any upcoming changes, be they temporary or permanent, that you would like us to list, please email either Meredith (meredith.lewis@vuw.ac.nz) or Colin (c.picker@unsw.edu.au) with the details. So, to start this new section:

• Colin Picker has, like Dorothy, gone from Kansas to Oz!  He is now in his new position at the University of New South Wales Law School in Sydney. 

• Heng Wang will be a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute for

the 2010-11 academic year.

• Meredith Kolsky Lewis will be a Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law for the 2010-11 academic year (but can still be reached on her Victoria email address).

• Susan Franck will be a Visiting Associate Professor at the Vanderbilt University Law School for the 2010 fall semester.

• Tracey Epps has accepted a position as Senior Trade Law Adviser at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).  She remains on the University of Otago law faculty and teaches international trade law in the Otago summer school programme.

*          *          *

The SIEL also seeks to publicize IEL events – be they conferences, “calls for papers”, IEL competitions, IEL programs and so on.  Please send us such information for posting.  To view a list of past SIEL posts, please visit the SIEL website (www.sielnet.org).

As a member run organization with over 500 members globally, please consider getting in touch with us with specific ideas for SIEL projects and services.  We are committed to expanding the SIEL activities and services wherever appropriate - be it alone or in partnership with other IEL organizations around the world.  Indeed, at the moment we are in the process of developing new projects and services and once they are finalized we will let you know.

Thanks for your support and interest.

Colin & Meredith

Executive Vice-Presidents, SIEL

SIEL 2010 AGM

(as e-mailed to members on Thursday June 24, 2010)

Dear SIEL members,

This e-mail gives Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Society of International Economic Law.  The one issue subject to voting at the meeting will concern elections for the SIEL Executive Council and for certain SIEL Officers.

The meeting will take place in Barcelona, Spain, on Friday July 9, at 1800 Hrs, during the SIEL 2010 Conference at the Law Faculty of the University of Barcelona (the IELPO Programme as hosts).

Sincerely,

Meredith Kolsky Lewis & Colin Picker,

SIEL Executive Vice-Presidents

*          *          *

THE SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

NOTICE is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of The Society of International Economic Law (“SIEL”) will be held at the University of Barcelona Law Faculty, 684 Diagonal Avenue, Barcelona, Spain, on July 9, 2010 at 1800 local time (Barcelona, Spain) and the following business will be considered,

ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS

1.                  None

SPECIAL RESOLUTIONS

1.                  None.

OTHER AGENDA ITEMS

1.         Presentation of the SIEL Accounts

2.         Announcement of 2012 Biennial Conference Venue

3.         Election of Members of the Executive Council (three positions are open) and certain SIEL Officer positions (SIEL Executive Vice President, SIEL Treasurer and SIEL Secretary), including Report of the SIEL Nominating Committee.

By Order of the Board

..............................................

Michelle Ratton Sanchez

Secretary

Registered Office:        C/O Law Department,

                                      London School of Economics

                                      Houghton Street

                                      London, WC2A 2AE

Dated: June 24, 2010

Notes:

Any member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and to vote on his or her behalf.  Proxies may be completed electronically and sent via email. A proxy need not be a member of SIEL.

*          *          *

Report of the SIEL Nominating Committee

The SIEL Nominating Committee, after due deliberation, nominates the following individuals, for the positions noted, for consideration by the SIEL membership at the SIEL 2010 AGM:

Meredith Kolsky Lewis– for SIEL Executive Vice President (as co-executive vice-president with Colin Picker)

Federico Ortino – for SIEL Treasurer (as co-treasurer with Galina Zukova)

Amelia Porges – for SIEL Secretary (as co-secretary with Michelle Ratton Sanchez)

Freya Baetens  - for membership of the Executive Council

Julia Qin – for membership of the Executive Council

Tania Voon  - for membership of the Executive Council

Call for papers: TDM Special Issue covering intersections between investment treaty law and the WTO world

Walid Ben Hamida and Todd Weiler, will be editing a TDM Special Issue covering intersections between investment treaty law and the WTO world.

Contributions are invited from prospected authors with unpublished or previously published articles, conference papers, research papers, case studies dealing with this issue.

If you have any questions or suggestions for the special, please contact Dr. Walid Ben Hamida (Email: benhamida [at] gmail (dot) com ) Deadline is August 30, 2010

Here are some issues that could be examined:

• The TRIMs agreement: a comment
• The relationships between GATS and investment agreements
• The GATS Agreement: A comment
• Telecommunication in WTO law and in investment law
• MFN in WTO law and in investment law
• National Treatment in WTO law and in investment law
• Transparency in WTO law and in investment law
• Concurrence between WTO dispute settlement body and investment arbitration
• Breach of WTO Obligations as Breach of Investment Treaties
• BITs, “Safeguards” Clauses, Health and Safety Measures, and the Relevance of GATT Article XX Jurisprudence
• Performance Requirements in Investment Arbitration and before WTO dispute settlement body
• Does MFN pick up the GATS, especially Arts. VI and VIII, the Basic Telecommunications Agreement and the Telecoms Reference paper, and/or market-opening commitments
• GATS MFN clause and investment arbitration
• The Doha round and investment matters
• Trade measures before investment arbitration
• Relationships beween TRIPs and investment agreement
• The relevance of WTO law in interpreting BIT rules
• State trading entreprises in WTO law and in investment law
• Subnational entities in WTO law in investment Law
• Amicus before WTO and before investment arbitration
• Energy and WTO Law
• The Use of ICSID Jurisprudence in a Recent Ruling of the WTO Appellate Body: The US-Final Anti-Dumping Measures on Stainless Steel Report WT/DS344/AB/R (Apr. 30, 2008)
• Energy charter Treaty and WTO law
• NAFTA and WTO Law
• Financial crisis measures, BITs and the WTO – are there real claims based on the measures taken by the US, the UK and others in response to the crisis that began in 2008 (or just hyperbole) and, if so, how are they affected by the presence or absence of safeguards clauses and prudential measures exceptions?
• Why are there so few WTO disputes related to services measures but so many BITs disputes related to services investments?
• A comparative consideration of the role of the WTO Secretariat and the role of the ICSID Secretariat with respect to disputes.
• Investment and Doha – does the probable failure of the Doha Round to open investment access (and indeed the probable failure of Doha itself) have an impact on the growth of investment agreements and investment chapters of FTAs?
• Capital Controls, Restrictions on FX Convertibility and Transfer Restrictions, and Sovereign Debt Defaults – Comparison of WTO and BIT treatment
• Why were there no WTO complaints against Argentina?
• Chinese BITs and WTO Obligations – Consistency, Growing Liberalization or Paper Tigers?

SIEL E-Newsletter  - Number 10  (March 2010)

This is the tenth SIEL newsletter, the others may be found at the news section of the SIEL website  - www.sielnet.org.

This Newsletter includes information on:

-           The SIEL 2010 Conference Registration (it is now Open)

-           The SIEL 2010 Conference Draft Program (it is now available)

-           The 2009 SIEL/CUP Prize Essay Results and the 2010 Competition Details

-           Other IEL Activities – Conferences and Calls for Papers (ESIL, ASIL, etc)

I.          The SIEL 2010 Conference Registration is Now Open

The registration details may be found at:  http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=67691

II.        The SIEL 2010 Conference Draft Program is Now Available

The conference draft program is available at: http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=579239

There are twenty one panels and numerous plenary sessions with such key note speakers as Joseph Weiler and Giorgio Sacerdoti.

The program, however, is subject to change: panel times/days and participants may be changed throughout the next few months.   Please check periodically to see the latest versions which we will post as we make those changes.

III.       SIEL/CUP Prize Essay on IEL: 2009 Results & 2010 Competition Details

            A.        SIEL/CUP Prize Essay on IEL - 2009 Results

We are pleased to announce the results of the 2009 SIEL/CUP Essay Prize Competition.

Winner:

Krzysztof Pelc, “Eluding Efficiency: Why Do We Not See More Efficient Breach at the WTO?”

Highly Commended:

Lisa Hemingway, “What's in a Turn? A Critique of Proceduralism within the WTO”

Catharina Koops, “Manipulating the WTO? The Possibilities for Challenging Undervalued Currencies under WTO Rules”

Shortlisted:

Michael Fakhri, “Reconstruing the WTO Legitimacy Debates Towards Notions of Development”

Anastasios Gourgourinis, “One Standard to Rule Them All: The International Minimum Standard of Treatment vis-à-vis Equitable Standards of Treatment for Foreign Traders/Investors under WTO and Investment Protection Law”

Ruth Kelly, “EU and US Non-Reciprocal Preferences: Preserving the Acquis”

John Siwiec, “Countermeasures and International Investment Law: Mexico's Sweeteners Disputes Under NAFTA”

            B.        SIEL/CUP Prize Essay on IEL - Submission Details

A prize has been established by the Society of International Economic Law and Cambridge University Press for the best essay submitted on any topic in any field of international economic law.

The competition is open to all current undergraduate and graduate students and those who have graduated no earlier than five years before the submission deadline. Members of the SIEL Executive Council may not submit entries. The essay may not have been previously published.

The prize consists of £200, as well as £300 of Cambridge University Press book vouchers and a three year subscription to the World Trade Review. The winning essay will be submitted to the World Trade Review for publication.

            Terms and conditions

Entries must be written in English and should follow the style-sheet for the World Trade Review. Entries should not exceed 8,000 words, including references, footnotes, tables, appendices, etc.

Entries must be submitted in Word format with a cover sheet containing the title of the entry, name and contact details. The essay itself must contain no identifying information other than the title.

Entries should be submitted using the following form: https://siel.wufoo.com/forms/sielcup-prize-for-an-essay-on-intl-economic-law/  

The deadline for submission is 30 September 2010 (17:00 GMT). Essays may be submitted from 7 September 2010.

The prize will be awarded by the SIEL Executive Council on the recommendation of a Prize Committee drawn from its members and the Editorial Board of the World Trade Review. Decisions of the Prize Committee on the winning essay and on any conditions relating to this prize are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Publication of the essay in the World Trade Review will be subject to the WTR’s normal review and decision procedure, but the WTR Editorial Board commits to expediting consideration with a view to early publication.

For clarification, essays with a focus on international commercial arbitration or EU law will not be considered for this Prize.

Any queries should be addressed by email to Dr Lorand Bartels, University of Cambridge (lab53@cam.ac.uk).

IV.        Other IEL Activities

            A.        ESIL International Economic Law Interest Group seminar on  "The International Law of Financial Markets: Governance, Stability and Security”

The ESIL International Economic Law Interest Group is holding a seminar on "The International Law of Financial Markets: Governance, Stability and Security" on 22-23 April 2010 in Granada (Spain). The programme and registration form are available at http://www.dipri.org/iel-esil/programme.pdf The deadline for registration is 15 April 2010 (or 22 March 2010, if your registration includes the visit to the Alhambra).

            B.        ASIL-IELG Call for Papers & Panel at DC Meeting

                        1.  Call for Papers 2010 ASIL-IELG Biennial Interest Group Conference

International Economic Law in a Time of Change:

Reassessing Legal Theory, Doctrine, Methodology and Policy Prescriptions

University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

November 18-20, 2010

                                    a.         Conference Theme

The start of the second decade of the twenty-first century is witnessing a confluence of events affecting international economic law that calls for re-evaluation. The international context has radically changed. Most analysts contend that we are shifting toward a multi-polar world in light of economic transformations in China, India, Brazil, and other developing and transitional countries, coupled with economic stagnation in the United States and Europe which are beset by a financial crisis and embroiled in foreign wars and security concerns. These developments have arguably complicated international economic governance, yet other factors–such as the current financial crisis–press consideration of new forms of international economic governance, such as the G-20. Global economic interdependence, exemplified by global production and supply chains, calls for sustained attention to international economic law and institutions.

                                    b.         Possible Topics for Papers and Panels

With this backdrop, the November conference will organize sessions that address the full range of international and transnational economic law. We encourage scholars to submit papers or panel proposals related to trade, investment, international financial regulation, transnational private law, and development law, as well as their intersection with social regulation such as over global warming, labor rights and consumer safety. This call for papers welcomes submissions that provide new analytic frameworks, reassess legal theory, evaluate developments in legal doctrine, engage in empirical analysis of the way international economic law operates, and provide guidance for policymakers, regulators and adjudicators in this time of international economic change.

The range of possible topics is wideundefinedthe list below is provided as a thought-starter of possible topics identified by the conference committee. We welcome however quality proposals on any international economic law topic.

* Methodological approaches for studying international economic law and their implications;

* Interpretive approaches to international economic law: theory vs. practice;

* Reform of international economic governance institutions, such as the WTO, IMF, World Bank, the G-8/G-20; international standards organizations;

* The interaction of institutions in a fragmented international economic law system;

* The role of hard and soft law in international economic governance, such as financial regulation;

* The interaction of private transnational economic governance regimes with public law;

* The interaction of international economic law and domestic law and politics;

* Theoretical and empirical studies on how international economic law institutions work;

* Theoretical and empirical studies on the handling of trade and investment disputes;

* Accountability and legitimacy of international economic governance;

* Climate change and its implications for international economic governance;

* Handling food and consumer safety risks in international trade;

* International economic law and the reassessment of development policies;

* New governance techniques in international economic law: their prospects and limits;

* Teaching international economic law: Using new technologies.

* The Future of International Economic Law after the Financial Crisis

* The Rise of China and a New International Economic Order?

* Proliferating Regional Trade and Investment Agreements: Complementing or Supplanting Multilateralism?

* The Doha Round’s Implications for the WTO

                                    c.         Proposal Submission and Selection

We encourage proposals for papers from both young and established scholars and practitioners so that they may engage with each other.  Paper proposals and all other program-related proposals must be submitted electronically by July 30, 2010 to 2010IELconference@gmail.com.  Proposals should include the author's name and full contact information, and an abstract of no more than 300 words.

A Conference Committee will review and select proposals. Further details will follow shortly regarding submissions and the Conference Committee. Save the Date.

Co-Chairs of ASIL International Economic Law Group: Susan Franck (francks@wlu.edu) and Gregory Shaffer (shaffer@umn.edu).

                        2.         ASIL-IELG Panel at DC Meeting

There will be a special slot at the ASIL’s Annual Meeting in Washington DC for the International Economic Law Interest Group on Friday March 26 from 9-10.30.  There will be a panel regarding Policy Updates on International Economic Law. The panel will be comprised of Mark Kantor (Independent Arbitrator); Cynthia Lichtenstein (Boston College); Tim Reif (General Counsel, USTR); Robert Stumberg (Georgetown); and Amy Porges as chair. After the panel there will be a short business meeting. 

            C.        Washington & Lee and the UN Host Joint Symposium on International Investment and ADR

On March 29, 2010, Washington and Lee School of Law will host a Joint Symposium with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to explore the prevention and efficient management of investment treaty disputes.

The event will bring together academics, governments, practitioners, investors, representatives from international organizations and non-governmental entities from around the world.  Symposium panels will address the experiences of stakeholders in investment treaty dispute resolution, explore strategies for improving the management of investment treaty disputes, and consider creative options for the future of dispute management and prevention.

The conference will be held at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. The conference is free and open to the public. Registration is requested no later than March 22, 2010. Participants can register at

http://investmentadr.wlu.edu/symposium/registration.asp For additional information, please visit the Symposium’s website at http://investmentadr.wlu.edu/symposium/

            D.        Six Newly Created Vacancies for Clerks at the ICJ. 

The International Court of Justice has been allocated six additional P-2 Law Clerk positions by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/64/244), making it now possible for each of the Court’s 15 judges to be assigned one full-time Law Clerk.

Under the supervision of the judge to whom he or she will be specifically assigned, the Law Clerk will provide such judge with legal research and related assistance with regard to cases pending before the Court. The Law Clerk may also be required to provide legal assistance and support to a judge ad hoc participating in a particular case. In coordination with his or her judge, the Law Clerk may also from time to time be called upon to perform some specific legal tasks for the Registry.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to send their application by e-mail, addressed to the Registrar of the Court, clearly indicating the vacancy announcement number. Deadline for applications is 6 April 2010.

For more information, see

http://www.icj-cij.org/registry/index.php?p1=2&p2=5&p3=3&v=77

            E.        IEL Publisher Discounts

Since its inception, the SIEL has negotiated SIEL member discounts with a wide variety of publishers, all of whom have been very supportive of the SIEL.  For more information on discounts being provided from individual publishers, please visit: http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=107157

*          *          *

The SIEL also seeks to publicize IEL events – be they conferences, “calls for papers”, IEL competitions, IEL programs and so on.  Please send us such information for posting.  To view a list of past SIEL posts, please visit the SIEL website (www.sielnet.org).

As a member run organization with over 400 members globally, please consider getting in touch with us with specific ideas for SIEL projects and services.  We are committed to expanding the SIEL activities and services wherever appropriate - be it alone or in partnership with other IEL organizations around the world.  Indeed, at the moment we are in the process of developing new projects and services and once they are finalized we will let you know.

Thanks for your support and interest.

Colin & Andrew

Executive Vice-Presidents, SIEL

SIEL E-Newsletter  - Number 8  (November 2009)

This is the Eighth SIEL newsletter, the others may be found at the the news section of the SIEL website  - www.sielnet.org.

This Newsletter includes information on:

-           The SIEL 2010 Conference Call for Papers/Panels

-           SIEL 2010 Website

-           The SIEL Annual General Meeting

-           The SIEL Investment Law Network

-           Other IEL Activities

            -           The ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law - North American

                        Regional Round (March 2010)

            -           Investment Treaty Disputes Project at Washington & Lee and UNCTAD

            -           Social Legal Studies Assoc. annual conference in Bristol – IEL stream

-           IEL Job Postings

I.          SIEL 2010 Conference Website and  Call for Papers/Panels

            A.        SIEL 2010 Call for Paper/Panels

MEMBERS: Please circulate/repost the below call or the url of the Call (http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=466207)

The Second Biennial Global Conference of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) will be hosted by the University of Barcelona and its IELPO Programme (see http://www.ielpo.org/) at the premises of the University of Barcelona from the 8th July to 10th  July 2010.

The conference committee seeks proposals for paper presentations and conference panels under the following terms.

                        Conference Themes

Over the course of the last two decades, the communities of scholars, practitioners and others active in the area of international economic law have grown and diversified in ways that few could have predicted. The field of international economic law now includes a diverse array of participants and covers many new substantive issues. Inevitably, the term international economic law defies easy definition: it is at once a fully integrated part of public international law and an identifiable field in its own right.

This conference provides a venue for exploring many different faces of international economic law. Given that the aim of the Society includes fostering research in the area of IEL and promoting cooperation among all parts within the field, the SIEL Global Conference offers a forum for those inside and outside academia to share pedagogical and research methods, as well as to explore greater cooperation among the many different constituencies of the field.

We welcome proposals for papers and panels on any topic related to International Economic Law, including:

• the three traditional pillars of IEL: trade, investment, and monetary policies;
• the relationship between these pillars, and between these pillars and other

            branches of law;

• the influence of disciplines such as economics, political economy, and others on

            international economic law;

• comparative international economic law, focusing on how international

            economic law interacts with laws, institutions and actors at the domestic level;

• the geographies of international economic law, relating to the role of international

            economic law in different parts of the world;

• the roles that law and legal practices play within international economic

            governance;

• methods and trends in the teaching and learning of international economic law; and
• interactions between scholars, practitioners, government officials and civil society

            groups active in international economic law.

We are particularly interested in integrating new voices with more established figures in the field, and therefore welcome works in progress from young or new scholars.

There will be plenary and concurrent panels. Each panel will be moderated and may also have commentators on the papers presented.  We anticipate that many of the eminent members of the Founding Executive Council and members of the present Executive Council will attend the conference - as presenters, commentators, and as Key Note Speakers (see www.sielnet.org  for a full listing).

                        Submission Procedure

Both paper and panel proposals are due by 15 December 2009.

Paper proposals should include a cover e-mail with full institutional affiliation and contact details, and a paper abstract of no longer than 300 words.

In evaluating proposals, please note that priority will be given to unpublished papers and works in progress. In your proposal, please note whether the paper has already been published, or has been accepted for publication.

Panel proposals should include a panel title, a description of the topics covered during the panel, and a list of suggested panelists (between 4 and 6), including information about the panelists and their specific contribution to the panel, in the form of a paper or presentation title. Suggested panelists must have been consulted by the proposer about the proposal.  They must have confirmed their interest in serving on such a panel if it were to be selected. Please take into account the diversity of speakers and opinions reflected in your panel proposal. 

Proposals must be submitted via email to SIEL2010conference@gmail.com  in WORD or PDF formats.  Please, write “SIEL 2010 Conference Call for Papers” in the subject of the email.

Results of the selection process are expected to be announced by the end of February 2010. Accepted papers must be submitted by 10 June 2010.

Conference fees and the costs associated with attending the conference will be kept as low as possible. The Society hopes, but cannot guarantee, to be in a position to provide a subsidy of the conference fee for some speakers on the basis of need, but at this time cannot make any guarantees.

                        Review and Selection Process

Every paper or panel proposal will be reviewed by at least two members of the conference committee, on a double blind and confidential basis.

                        Online Publication

Conference papers will be made available online prior to the conference. Papers from the Inaugural conference were published online as a working paper series on SSRN's Legal Scholarship Network (see http://www.ssrn.com/link/SIEL-Inaugural-Conference.html).

                        Inquiries

Please submit inquiries to Colin Picker: Co-Executive Vice President, SIEL (Email: pickerc@umkc.edu).

For more information about the SIEL, please go to: www.sielnet.org

            B.        New SIEL 2010 Conference Website

The SIEL 2010 website, hosted by the IELPO and at their website, is now up and running at http://siel2010.com/. At this website there is additional information on such conference issues as hotel discounts, Barcelona, the conference program (when it is released), and so on.

II.        SIEL Annual General Meeting

The SIEL will be holding its Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) in London, and remotely by call in, on December 14th at 2 PM GMT.  More details, including any resolutions, will follow by a separate e-mail to members. At that time we will provide the details on how to arrange for proxy participation.  It is not expected that anything controversial or all that consequential will take place as the next AGM will be held in Barcelona six months later where it is expected that a significant number of members will be able to participate.

III.       The SIEL Investment Law Network

A SIEL Investment Law Network is being established as a sub-group within SIEL to build a network amongst academics and academically-minded practitioners and officials interested in the field of international investment law.  The Network is designed to be an inclusive group open to all SIEL members.  Its purpose is to foster a specialized level of engagement and encourage targeted SIEL events on investment. 

The SIEL Investment Network will be officially launched at an investment conference taking place in Sydney, Australia, in February 2010: Investment Treaty Law and Arbitration: Evolution and Revolution in Substance and Procedure.  For further information on participating in the SIEL Investment Network, contact Kate Miles, University of Sydney, at k.miles@usyd.edu.au.

IV.       Other IEL Activities

            A.        The ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law - North American

                        Regional Round (March 2010)

The ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law is an international moot court competition on WTO dispute settlement organized by the European Law Students Association which includes teams of students around the world.  Information is available on the ELSA website at:  www.elsamootcourt.org.  Regional Rounds will be held in Asia, Europe, Australia, Latin America and North America in March and April, with the Final Round being held in the Dominican Republic in May.  This competition is supported by the WTO, and co-sponsored by the World Trade Institute, IELPO and Sidley Austin LLP.

This year, the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law is pleased to host the North American Regional Round, which is open to teams from universities in Canada and the United States.  It will be held from March 18-20, 2010 in Ottawa, Canada.  Information about the North American Regional Round is available at: www.commonlaw.uottawa.ca/wtomoot.  If you are at a North American law school, please consider fielding a team. 

            B.        Washington & Lee School of Law and UNCTAD Project on                                          Investment Treaty Disputes

Washington and Lee School of Law has announced a new partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to explore the prevention and efficient management of investment treaty disputes. The joint project’s initial phase will occur through website collaboration. The site (accessible at http://investmentADR.wlu.edu) facilitates discussion by providing overviews of relevant concepts and collecting preconference research. The effort culminates in a conference at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia on March 29, 2010.

The conference is free and open to the public. To register for the conference, please contact Wendy Rice at ricew@wlu.edu no later than Monday, March 22, 2010. Media Contact: Susan D. Franck, Associate Professor of Law (francks@wlu.edu); Jan Knoerich, UNCTAD (Jan.Knoerich@unctad.org).

            C.        Social Legal Studies Assoc. annual conference in Bristol – IEL stream

A subject stream entitled International Economic Law, Justice and Development will be included at the Social Legal Studies Association annual conference in Bristol (30.03.10-01.04.10). The call for papers and instructions for submission of proposals can be found at:  http://law.uwe.ac.uk/slsa/call-for-papers.aspx

            D.        IEL Activity Announcements

The SIEL also seeks to publicize IEL events – be they conferences, “calls for papers”, IEL competitions, IEL programs and so on.  Please send us such information for posting.  To view a list of past SIEL posts, please visit the SIEL website (www.sielnet.org).

V.        IEL Job Postings

At the SIEL website, http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=113495, there are three new IEL jobs posted (1.Senior Research Fellow in International Investment and Trade Law, at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law; 2. Director, at the WTO Legal Affairs Division; and 3.UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Affairs Officer)   As you hear of new jobs please log in as a member and post them there.

VI.       IEL Publisher Discounts

Since its inception, the SIEL has negotiated SIEL member discounts with a wide variety of publishers, all of whom have been very supportive of the SIEL.  For more information on discounts being provided from individual publishers, please visit: http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=107157

*          *          *

As a member run organization with around 400 members globally, please consider getting in touch with us with specific ideas for SIEL projects and services.  We are committed to expanding the SIEL activities and services wherever appropriate - be it alone or in partnership with other IEL organizations around the world.  Indeed, at the moment we are in the process of developing new projects and services and once they are finalized we will let you know.

Thanks for your support and interest.

Colin & Andrew

Executive Vice-Presidents, SIEL

SIEL E-Newsletter  - Number 7  (September 2009)

This is the Seventh SIEL newsletter, the others may be found at the SIEL website  - www.sielnet.org).

This Newsletter includes information on:

- The SIEL 2010 Conference Call for Papers/Panels

-  Regional IEL Activities

-  Investment Yearbook Call for Contributions

- SIEL/CUP Prize for an Essay on International Economic Law – Closing Date Approaching

I.          SIEL 2010 Conference Call for Papers

The Second Biennial Global Conference of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) will be hosted by the University of Barcelona and its IELPO Programme (see http://www.ielpo.org/) at the premises of the University of Barcelona from the 8^th July to 10^th  July 2010.

The conference committee seeks proposals for paper presentations and conference panels under the following terms.

Conference Themes

Over the course of the last two decades, the communities of scholars, practitioners and others active in the area of international economic law have grown and diversified in ways that few could have predicted. The field of international economic law now includes a diverse array of participants and covers many new substantive issues. Inevitably, the term international economic law defies easy definition: it is at once a fully integrated part of public international law and an identifiable field in its own right.

This conference provides a venue for exploring many different faces of international economic law. Given that the aim of the Society includes fostering research in the area of IEL and promoting cooperation among all parts within the field, the SIEL Global Conference offers a forum for those inside and outside academia to share pedagogical and research methods, as well as to explore greater cooperation among the many different constituencies of the field.           

We welcome proposals for papers and panels on any topic related to International Economic Law, including:

• the three traditional pillars of IEL: trade, investment, and monetary policies;
• the relationship between these pillars, and between these pillars and other branches of law;
• the influence of disciplines such as economics, political economy, and others on international economic law;
• comparative international economic law, focussing on how international economic law interacts with laws, institutions and actors at the domestic level;
• the geographies of international economic law, relating to the role of international economic law in different parts of the world;
• the roles that law and legal practices play within international economic governance;
• methods and trends in the teaching and learning of international economic law; and
• interactions between scholars, practitioners, government officials and civil society groups active in international economic law.

We are particularly interested in integrating new voices with more established figures in the field, and therefore welcome works in progress from young or new scholars.

There will be plenary and concurrent panels. Each panel will be moderated and may also have commentators on the papers presented.  We anticipate that many of the eminent members of the Founding Executive Council and members of the present Executive Council will attend the conference - as presenters, commentators, and as Key Note Speakers (see www.sielnet.org for a full listing).

Submission Procedure

Both paper and panel proposals are due by 15 December 2009.

Paper proposals should include a cover e-mail with full institutional affiliation and contact details, and a paper abstract of no longer than 300 words.

In evaluating proposals, please note that priority will be given to unpublished papers and works in progress. In your proposal, please note whether the paper has already been published, or has been accepted for publication.

Panel proposals should include a panel title, a description of the topics covered during the panel, and a list of suggested panelists (between 4 and 6), including information about the panelists and their specific contribution to the panel, in the form of a paper or presentation title. Suggested panelists must have been consulted by the proposer about the proposal.  They must have confirmed their interest in serving on such a panel if it were to be selected. Please take into account the diversity of speakers and opinions reflected in your panel proposal. 

Proposals must be submitted via email to SIEL2010conference@gmail.com in WORD or PDF formats.  Please, write “SIEL 2010 Conference Call for Papers” in the subject of the email.

Results of the selection process are expected to be announced by the end of February 2010. Accepted papers must be submitted by 10 June 2010.

Conference fees and the costs associated with attending the conference will be kept as low as possible. The Society hopes, but cannot guarantee, to be in a position to provide a subsidy of the conference fee for some speakers on the basis of need, but at this time cannot make any guarantees.

Review and Selection Process

Every paper or panel proposal will be reviewed by at least two members of the conference committee, on a double blind and confidential basis.

Online Publication

Conference papers will be made available online prior to the conference. Papers from the Inaugural conference were published online as a working paper series on SSRN's Legal Scholarship Network (see http://www.ssrn.com/link/SIEL-Inaugural-Conference.html).

Inquiries

Please submit inquiries to Colin Picker: Co-Executive Vice President, SIEL (Email: pickerc@umkc.edu).

For more information about the SIEL, please go to: www.sielnet.org

II.        Regional Organizations

Though a global organization, the SIEL believes in the importance of regional IEL organizations and seeks to support those that already exist and where none exist is in the process of encouraging and supporting the creation of such groups.  Below is information on IEL regional groups.

            A.         Africa Regional IEL Group

(1)    The SIEL is in the process of gathering leaders towards the establishment of an African Society as well as an IEL educational network for Africa. There is a lot of work to be done and any expressions of interest would be welcome.

(2)    As part of the SIEL's efforts to encourage IEL in Africa, we are proud to announce our formal association with the Law and Democracy Books for Africa (BFA) - http://www.booksforafrica.org/initiatives/law-democracy.html. We have recently received a commitment from Hart Publishing to supply 100 books a year, 5 copies of 20 recent IEL and human rights titles, that will be delivered through BFA to law schools in Africa. The first shipments are scheduled to Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. Thank you, to both Hart and BFA! We are interested in encouraging other key publishers in IEL to make similar commitments and would appreciate your leads and input in this respect.

For additional information and any expressions of interest in this area, please contact Tomer Broude at tomerbroude@gmail.com. 

            B.         Asian IEL Network (AIELN)

During the summer the AIELN held a very successful conference at the University of Tokyo, Multilateralism and Regionalism in Global Economic Governance: Trade, Investment and Finance (see http://aieln1.web.fc2.com/programme.html).  In addition to hearing many superb papers and different perspectives on IEL, the network discussed future activities, with details to be released later this year.  

            C.        Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Region

The New Zealand Centre of International Economic Law (NZCIEL) is pleased to announce its upcoming conference, "Trade Agreements: Where Do We Go from Here?" which will be held 22-23 October and will feature incoming Appellate Body member Professor Peter Van den Bossche as keynote speaker.  For the conference programme and registration information, please visit www.victoria.ac.nz/law/centres/nzciel .  For additional information please contact the NZCIEL Co-Directors, Meredith Kolsky Lewis or Susy Frankel, at nzciel@vuw.ac.nz.

            D.        Latin America Regional IEL Group

SIEL is also starting a red latinoamericana, which intends to be a focal point for IEL research in Latin America and bridge the abyss between practitioners and scholars as well between countries in the region. To support scholarly exchange we set up a blog (http://iel-latinamerica.blogspot.com/) and are building a network of interested practitioners and scholars in the region. In the future, we intend to organize or help organize seminars in the region and on topics of interest for the region. For more information on the Latin America Regional IEL Group please contact siel.redlatinoamericana@gmail.com.

            E.        American Society of International Law – IELG

The International Economic Law Interest Group (IEcLIG) of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) will host a special Research Forum in early December 2009 to discuss the emerging complexities and interconnectedness of risk, science and law as they relate to international governance. The conference will take place at Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, IL on December 5 (Saturday), 2009. They are inviting the submission of proposals in the form of abstracts of no more than 300 words which will address this topic.  Abstracts should be emailed to Sungjoon Cho at scho1@kentlaw.edu by September 30, 2009 (New Deadline). Each submission should include the author’s name, institutional affiliation, contact information and e-mail address.

The full text of the Call can be found at http://worldtradelaw.typepad.com/ielpblog/2009/09/call-for-papers-risk-science-and-law-in-international-governance.html

More information on the ASIL-IELG can be found at http://www.asil.org/interest-groups-view.cfm?groupid=21

            F.         European Society of International Law - IELG

The ESIL has announced “the 3rd ESIL Research Forum ‘Changing Futures: Science and International Law’ will be held in Helsinki, Finland, on 2 - 3 October 2009. The Forum will be a joint meeting of the American and European Societies of International Law (ASIL-ESIL).  [They] would like to draw your attention to the following event: The day before the begin of the official program – Thursday, 1 October 2009 – the ESIL International Economic Law Interest Group – together with the respective ASIL Group – will hold a discussion on "The Future of International Economic Law Research". It is a pleasure to announce that the ESIL nominated Prof. Dr. Thomas Cottier to introduce the discussion.  [They] would like to invite all of you to participate in this event and look forward to a large attendance.”

More information on the ESIL-IEL interest group can be found at:  http://inteurlaw.uni-goettingen.de/esil-iel/

III.       Investment Yearbook Call for Contributions

The inaugural edition of the Yearbook of International Investment Law and Policy was published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in June 2009. The Investment Yearbook monitors current developments in international investment law and policy, focusing (in Part One) on trends in foreign direct investment (FDI), international investment agreements, investment disputes, and investment issues in the international energy sector. Part Two, then, looks at central issues in the contemporary discussions on international investment law and policy. The chapters may be detailed analyses or short think-pieces, and in any event they are original texts. The Editor-in-Chief of the Investment Yearbook is Karl. P. Sauvant, Columbia University. The Editorial Committee is composed by: Walid Ben Hamida, Andrea K. Bjorklund, Peter Muchlinski, Ucheora Onwuamaegbu, Federico Ortino

Original contributions to be considered for publication in Part Two of the 2009/10 edition of the Investment Yearbook should be sent (by 21 September 2009) to the Editor-in-Chief at investmentyearbook@law.columbia.edu. An Overview chapter of the inaugural edition can be found at www.vcc.columbia.edu.

SIEL members may purchase the Investment Yearbook benefiting from the 20% discount offered by OUP on purchases of international law titles.

IV.       SIEL/CUP Prize for an Essay on International Economic Law – Closing Date Approaching

A prize has been established by the SIEL and Cambridge University Press for the best essay submitted on any topic in any field of international economic law. The competition is open to current students and those who have graduated within the last five years.

The prize consists of £200, as well as £300 of Cambridge University Press book vouchers and a three year subscription to the World Trade Review. The winning essay will be submitted to the World Trade Review for publication. The closing date for submissions is 30 September 2009.

For submission details and terms and conditions, please see www.sielnet.org/essayprize

V.        IEL Activity Announcements

The SIEL also seeks to publicize IEL events – be they conferences, “calls for papers”, IEL competitions, IEL programs and so on.  Please send us such information for posting.  To view a list of past SIEL posts, please visit the SIEL website (www.sielnet.org).

VI.       IEL Publisher Discounts

Since its inception, the SIEL has negotiated SIEL member discounts with a wide variety of publishers, all of whom have been very supportive of the SIEL.  For more information on discounts being provided from individual publishers, please visit: http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=107157

VII.     Other SIEL Services & Activities

As a member run organization with around 400 members globally, please consider getting in touch with us with specific ideas for SIEL projects and services.  We are committed to expanding the SIEL activities and services wherever appropriate - be it alone or in partnership with other IEL organizations around the world.  Indeed, at the moment we are in the process of developing new projects and services and once they are finalized we will let you know.

Thanks for your support and interest.

Colin & Andrew

Executive Vice-Presidents, SIEL

“Hold-the-Dates”:  The second global Society of International Economic Law Conference will take place the 8^th to the 10^th of July, 2010

We are also very pleased to announce that the conference will be hosted by the International Chair WTO/Regional Integration (IELPO) at the Faculty of Law, University of Barcelona.

More details about the conference, including a conference “Call for Papers”, will be forthcoming.

As a service to our Members, please note that the registration for the Inaugural Conference of the Asian International Economic Law Network (AIELN) has been extended to July 31st. For registration, please visit http://aieln1.web.fc2.com/reg.html.

This conference is being held at the University of Tokyo on August 3, 2009. For further details, and to see the program, please visit http://aieln1.web.fc2.com/programme.html.