Justification

The international trading system is gaining in importance by the day and the energy and natural resource industries are increasingly feeling the pressure – but also recognising the opportunities – of this growing interdependence between nation states. Many of the domestic regulatory issues in the energy & natural resources sector find their parallels at the regional (e.g. EU, NAFTA) and multilateral (WTO) levels. The WTO is often referred to as the “regulator of the regulators” – it limits the regulatory power of its members. The same can be said about the EU, NAFTA, etc. vis-à-vis their respective members.

A separate theme focusing on trade and the energy and resources sector is needed, inter alia, because: (1) the implications of this multifaceted process of closer integration to the energy and resources sector have yet to be systematically studied; (2) the relationship between the different international organisations operating in this area (e.g. WTO, OPEC, IEA, ECT/S, etc.) is as yet unclear, and (3) there are several traditional and new issues within the WTO – but also the regional and sectoral organisations – that have yet to be studied thoroughly and systematically.