FIRST GNLU

INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE
ON TRADE &
COMPETITION LAW
Post-Doha—Linkage between
International Trade and Competition:
Policy and Practice of
Developed and Developing Countries

Venue: Conference Hall, Ground Floor

Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, India
05 - 06 March, 2011

Call for Papers:

Last date for submission of abstracts (200-300 words) is
5th January 2011
Acceptance of Abstracts will be notified by
7th January 2011
Last date for submission of full papers is
6th February 2011

Who Must Attend: Policy-makers,

negotiators/diplomats, competition personnel,
practitioners, judges, academicians, bureaucrats, trading
and business chambers, and trade unions.

Registration Fee:
Indian Participants: `. 2000
Participants From SAARC and Developing Countries: $ 30
Participants From Developed Countries: $ 60
Background:
International trade has been an irreversible factor in
promoting the economy of countries across the globe. The
countries have been witnessing faster changes in the global
trade scenario. It has been felt extremely important by the
countries at large to regulate at the governmental level the
commercial transactions between the countries. While the
trade has become a tool of commercial exchange amongst
the private parties, the governments across the globe wished
to regulate the trade with a view to promote free
competition. The international trade however has not
succeeded in bridging the gap between the developing and
developed economies. The developing courtiers started
feeling that the trade must be fair too. On the other hand,
the competition concerns have been the long-standing
questions. Anti-competitive business behaviours have
adverse effects on national as well as international trade
transactions. Many developed economies including United
States, Australia and the European Union already have well
established rules of completion law in order to prevent anti-
competitive practices. Developing countries comprising
India are also not so lagging behind in adopting and
implementing the completion law and policy in their
national jurisdictions. However, at the international level
there is still a vacuum, as no organization to date has
effectively addressed the concerns of adverse effects of
anti-competitive business practices in international trade.
Though a structured effort has begun in WTO on the
interaction between trade and competition policy in the
Singapore Ministerial in 1996, due to persistent failure at
subsequent meetings in reaching a consensus on the content
of possible rules on competition the WTO General Council
dropped competition policy from the Doha agenda in 2004.
Thereafter, the international trade has got hit by the global
financial crisis started in 2007.

This conference is aimed at addressing the issues of trade

and competition and the interface therein between
developed and developing countries including India under
the following heads:
1. International Trade: Policy and Practice;
2. World Trade Organization: Issues & Challenges
3. Competition Law and Policy
4. Regulation of Anti-Competitive Practices
5. Interface between Trade and Competition

Finally, the conference is contemplated to come out with

concrete recommendations having salutary effects on the
policy making and implementation in the realm of trade and
competition among the stakeholders. Recommendations and
conference proceedings will be presented to the world trade
and competition policy makers, implementing agencies, and
judiciary.
N.B.: Participants who wish to present a paper are requested to go through the
structure of the Conference. They are required to select a sub-theme for
writing a paper from among the five sessional heads as given below.

Conference Structure:
Saturday, 05 March 2011
Inauguration & Address by the Key Note Speakers : 09:30-10:30Hrs

Tea Break—10:30-10:45Hrs

Session I—10:45-13:00Hrs
International Trade: Policy and Practice
1. International Trade: Law and Practice in Disarray or
Synchronization?
2.Relevance of Regional Trade Agreements in the Post 2007
Financial Crisis
3. Contemporary Role of UN, WB, IMF, UNCTAD in
addressing Post-2007 Issues
4. Role of International Chamber of Commerce & Incoterms
5. Role of National Chambers of Commerce: Loss of
Relevance vs. Pro-Active Affirmation

Lunch Break—13:00-14:00Hrs

Session II—14:00-16:45Hrs
World Trade Organization: Issues & Challenges
1.Market Access & Tariff Restrictions
2.Trade Facilitation and Development
3.Agricultural Subsidies and WTO

Tea Break—15:30-15:45Hrs

4.Access to patented Medicines

5.WTO & Investment

Sunday, 06 March 2011

Session III—10:00-11:00Hrs
Competition Law and Policy
1.Evolution of Competition Law: Developed and Developing Countries' Perspectives
2.The Competition Act, 2002: An Overview of Indian Law

Tea Break—11:00-11:15Hrs

Session IV—11:15-13:15Hrs
Regulation of Anti-Competitive Practices
1. Anti-competitive Agreements and Cartelization
2.Abuse of Dominance in Indian Markets
3.Control over Combinations
4.Promotion of Beneficial Competition between Developed and Developing
Countries: Post 2007 Scenario

Lunch Break—13:15-14:15Hrs

Session V—14:15-15:45Hrs
Interface between Trade and Competition
1.IPR and Competition: Way Ahead
2.WTO and Competition: Future of Developed and Developing Countries
Tea Break—15:45-16:00Hrs
Valedictory Session—16:00-17:00Hrs
n Speakers and resource persons will be provided local hospitality.

n A selected number of partial sponsorship to defray the costs of

participants for boarding/lodging from developing countries
will be considered upon merits.

For Further Details Contact:

Dr. Mamata Biswal

Associate Professor of Law &
Deputy Dean Academic Affairs
+91 - 8128650803
mbiswal@gnlu.ac.in

Dr. Udayakumara Ramakrishna B.N.

Assistant Professor of Law
+91 - 8128650839
uramakrishna@gnlu.ac.in

Gujarat National Law University

E-4, GIDC Electronics Estate,
Sector 26, Gandhinagar - 382 028
Gujarat, India.
Phone No.: +91 - 79 – 23287157 / 23287158
Fax No.: +91 - 79 - 23287156
Website: www.gnlu.ac.in
Email: contact@gnlu.ac.in