From 28 May to 1 June will be held in Montréal the third edition of the Summer School in Droit et commerce bilatérale: Amérique du Nord Europe/Law and Bilateral Trade: North America-Europe organized in cooperation between the Université de Montréal and the l’Università degli Studi di Milano. 

 

This International Summer School is in fact held alternately in Montreal and Milan and is co-directed for the Université de Montréal by professors Hervé A. Prince and Nanette Neuwahl, for the Università degli Studi di Milano, by professors Lucia Bellucci and Gian Luigi Gatta.

Aimed at students, in particular of Law, Political Sciences, Economics and International Studies, and professionals, the Summer School has been an intensive training event since 2016, with a program that changes every year on issues related to commercial policy international: the relations between the European Union and North America, the commercial agreements in execution, such as the CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement), or potentially in negotiation, such as the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). 

For the Summer School, which takes place under the High Patronage of the Canadian Embassy in Italy, the two partner universities have been awarded the prestigious Venice Prize of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada. 

In the lively multidisciplinary context of the Summer School, students and professionals acquire new perspectives on global business and international markets, starting from a deeper knowledge of the current trend in commercial bilateralism. In particular, Canada is an active part in the renegotiation of the NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement) with the United States and Mexico, and in the launch of the provisional execution of CETA with the European Union. 

The Summer School project can only be influenced by the contents of CETA. The training project was born precisely in conjunction with the signing of the agreement (2016), anticipating the issues related to its developments, opportunities and benefits and ratification by the Member States of the European Union. In 2018, it will probably also be able to give an analytical point of view on the first data concerning the practical effects subsequent to the provisional implementation of the agreement from 21 September 2017. 

Also in this edition, the program includes thematic sessions on the major challenges of commercial North America-Europe bilateralism, to analyze trade agreements also on the role of companies in the international context, market access and regulation, foreign investments and services financial, rights and sensitive subjects, implementation and resolution of disputes. The issues will be dealt especially from a legal point of view, but also economic, political-international and social, from experts and professionals from all over the world, who will study in depth the aspects and effects on businesses and citizens, in the short and long term period. 

The 2018 edition of the Summer School will be introduced, on the opening day, by a round table dedicated to the state of the art of the main free trade agreements of Europe, Canada and the United States and to the most debated aspects in the negotiation and execution phase. 

Already in previous editions, the round table was a moment of confrontation with exceptional guests who played an important role in the analysis and implementation of these agreements: in 2016 intervened Gil Rémillard, president and founder of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, in 2017 attended by Pierre-Marc Johnson, the chief negotiator for the Quebec CETA and Ignacio Garcia Bercero - Director-Neighboring, Countries, USA and Canada-DG trade- European Commission, while this year will be the turn of Raymond Bachand, chief negotiator of Québec for the NAFTA, which will hold the inaugural conference, dedicated to the most relevant issues in the matter of renegotiation of this agreement. 

In the thematic sessions in which the 2018 edition is organized, from the Universities of Milan, Montreal, Laval, Bordeaux, Besançon and Paris will participate, some of which have already taught in previous editions of the Summer School: Francesca Arnaboldi, Angelica Bonfanti, Francesco Delfini, Ysolde Gendreau, Loic Grard, Véronique Guèvremont, Albert Henke, Francesca Romanin Jacur, Leila Lankarani, Amissi Manirabona, Richard Ouellet, Stéphane Rousseau e Martine Valois.

As in previous editions, Nctm Law Firm, one of the leading independent Italian law firms, will participate at the event to give a professional and educational contribution to young students through their experience gained in the field of international trade. Among the speakers will also be present this year the Nctm Partners who have also participated in the past at the Summer School: Paolo Quattrocchi, an expert in corporate and commercial law, with particular attention to the internationalization of business, and director of the Centro Studi Italia Canada and vice-president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada West, and Bernard O'Connor, an expert in Community trade law, WTO and intellectual property.