MILE 14 draws to a close with Moot Court

The event was attended by students, their families and friends, MILE faculty and staff. Ambassador Didier Chambovey, Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements and Head of the World Trade Division in the Foreign Economic Affairs Directorate, addressed the issue of global value chains and the significant implications for trade in goods, services and foreign investment.

The demanding graduate programme culminated, as in previous years, in the MILE moot court, where students pit their wits against each other in a challenging group exercise.

Six teams participated in the 2014 moot court held on 23 and 24 June after which the WTI’s two best teams faced off against the two best teams from the IELPO programme at the University of Barcelona in a final competition.

“Both schools performed admirably and the panellists were very impressed by their WTO law knowledge and litigation abilities,” commented MILE programme director Jin Glover.

Best speaker awards were given to one student from each school: Bhargav Mansatta (IELPO) and Augustine Kidisil (WTI).

The exercise was prepared by MILE alumni Iryna Polovets and Fernando Piérola on the topic of measures affecting the supply of energy and energy-related services.

Teamworking test

The intention of the moot court is to give participants an idea of how a dispute is heard in front of a WTO Panel and to test their teamworking abilities.

In the oral competition each team plays the role of complainant and respondent once with the match-ups determined randomly. Each session consists of an oral argument on the moot court problem between two teams: a complainant’s and a respondent’s side.

The panellists of the 2014 MILE moot court were: Arthur E. Appleton (Appleton Luff), Victoria Donaldson (World Trade Organization), Fernando Piérola (Advisory Centre on WTO Law) and Christian Vidal León (European Commission).

The end of classes marks the beginning of serious thesis research. Some students will move to Geneva to take up internship positions, others will go to Brussels. Some will remain on campus to work on their theses while others will return home to their posts.

“We wish all of the students the best of luck in their short and long term plans. They have been a most pleasurable and enjoyable class composed of intelligent, professional and motivated individuals. While we are sad to say goodbye, we are also proud and honoured to support this class in the building of their future careers,” said Jin Glover.

The next MILE Programme begins on 15 September 2014.