WTI/NCCR Researcher Support Gujarat National Law University Moot Court Competition (India)

The GIMC attracted competing teams from 36 Indian and other universities. Christian Häberli (WTI/NCCR) and Krista Nadakavukaren Schefer (University of Basel/NCCR) served as pannelists in the Moot Court’s Semi-Final and Final Rounds. Christian Häberli also presented the WTI and discussed further collaboration possibilities between the two institutions.

A very interesting and actual case served as the basis, involving a bilateral FTA, a free trade tone with import duty exemption and local tax remittance, CVD and a carbon tax acting as a retaliatory measure, all of this of course in a developing country context. For training purposes a somewhat strange arrangement was chosen, taking the International Court of Justice as the venue for what very clearly was a WTO (or FTA) dispute settlement case, and setting a stage with a Indian Court flavour, with moot judges who were mostly lawyers from large Indian firms as well as former Supreme Court judges.

This Moot Court competition is a significant step forward in the achievement of the aims and objectives of the WTI/NCCR and the GIMC, especially the dissemination of knowledge related to pressing issues in international trade. This relationship supports the development of scholastic excellence and legal acumen in the participants whereby every one of them left this competition with improved understanding and skills relating to Public International Law and International Trade Law.

The WTI awarded the winning team (and the runner-up) with a scholarship to its five week Summer Academy on International Trade Regulation, taking place this year from 12 July to 13 August 2010.