Simon Lester

Apparently, TransCanada has suspended its application for a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.  Here's the WSJ: The company behind the Keystone XL pipeline on Monday asked the U.S. government to suspend its permit application, throwing the politically fraught project into an indefinite state of limbo, beyond

There is going to be lots of discussion about the TPP in the coming months. This event at the International Law Institute looks like it will be a good one:   PROGRAM:       The conference will discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) from a variety of perspectives - the Executive and Congressional branches,

The notice of appeal is here. Panama, the complainant, "won" the case, but ended up with a finding that did not achieve its goals, so it appealed. This is potentially one of the most interesting GATS cases I've seen.  It is sort of like the counterpart

I know that at least two of you readers out there have been keeping an eye on tit for tat WTO disputes.  Here's another. On May 7 of this year, Russia requested consultations with Ukraine in Ukraine - Anti-Dumping Measures on Ammonium Nitrate . And now on October 21,

This is from the explanation of TPP ISDS by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: The safeguards in TPP, which protect the New Zealand Government’s right to regulate and which seek to prevent unwarranted ISDS claims, include: ... The Government is expressly permitted to make a counterclaim

Here's the abstract of an article by law professor Timothy Meyer: International negotiations struggle to keep pace with global problems like climate change. To fill this gap, local governments increasingly take matters into their own hands. For example, to promote the benefits of clean energy, a local government

Sweden's National Board of Trade has a new report called "The Right to Regulate in the Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada - and its implications for the Agreement with the USA." There are lots of interesting parts, but I'm going to focus

This is from Greg Ip of the WSJ: ... “behind the border” barriers are politically more sensitive than tariffs because they affect domestic policies, from human rights to how much public health systems pay for drugs. Classical arguments for free trade are also less relevant: a country that grants foreign drug

From the SIEL: Call for Papers: Society of International Economic Law and University of Luxembourg, Fifth PEPA/SIEL Conference. SIEL’s Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network (PEPA/SIEL) and the Research Unit in Law of the University of Luxembourg are pleased to announce that the fifth PEPA/SIEL Conference

From the WTO: Nigeria announced its intention to request a mediation process regarding Mexico’s import measures on hibiscus flowers. According to Nigeria, Mexico requires verification of plant health certificates for consignments of hibiscus flowers, a plant commonly used in beverages, resulting in delays of up to six weeks. Mexico,