General International Law and International Economic Law: an (Un)Easy Relationship?
Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia)

17 April 2015

CALL FOR PAPERS (CLICK HERE FOR PDF VERSION)

International Economic Law is an ever-expanding and rapidly developing area. It covers matters as diverse as standards applicable to marking of tuna products, promotion of renewable energy sources, state’s responses to economic crisis and measures taken to protect public health or public morals.

Individuals and companies play an increasingly active role in helping to shape or enforce international economic law rules in these areas. International arbitral tribunals and other dispute settlement mechanisms are similarly active leading to an exponentially growing number of decision interpreting and applying international economic law standards and rules.

Topic

International Economic Law forms a part of the general international law. General sources of international law, rules of treaty interpretation and state responsibility arguably apply. The question the conference will seek to answer would be whether the general international law rules are capable of dealing with issues arising in the international economic law? Is there a need for adaptation or indeed a sui generis set of rules?

The organizers invite submissions looking at this question both (i) from the perspective of general international law and theory of international law and (ii) from the perspective of international economic law and application of general international law to particular issues.

Some of the issues the submissions may address include: (i) the effect of private persons’ participation (as right-holders or beneficiaries); (ii) the role of courts and tribunals in shaping the law; (iii) the continued relevance of customary international law; (iv) interaction between general international law and lex specialis; (v) international economic law’s contribution to the development of international law  (vi) the nature of investor’s rights; (vii) interaction between state’s sovereignty and regulatory powers and investment treaty disciplines (such as regulatory expropriation); (viii) interaction between trade law disciplines and state’s other obligations under international law.

The organizers welcome submission on any other matter falling within the overall topic of the conference.

Submissions

Abstracts of 300 to 500 words accompanied by a short resume (CV) should be submitted by 30 September 2014. Successful applicants will be informed by 15 October 2014. Papers should be submitted by 15 March 2015.

There is no registration fee. Participants are responsible for their expenses associated with the participation in the conference.

The organizing committee will select the participants on the basis of submitted abstracts. The organizers are working on inviting established authorities in the field to deliver keynote presentations and moderate conference panels.

All submissions should be made to ielmsu.conference@gmail.com.

For further information about the conference and regular updates please visit the conference’s website.