Trade, Geopolitics and Climate: Fireside Chat with Ignacio Bercero

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Ignacio Bercero, former Director at the European Commission, about his long career in trade, the evolution of the geopolitical and economic landscape over the last 30 years, and the role of trade in the path to climate neutrality. As the world fast approaches a 1.5 degree temperature increase, trade openness and sustainable production and consumption patterns will be pivotal to the net-zero transition. Yet, new challenges lie ahead. National security discourses and geopolitical rivalries are centre stage in the US electoral debate. Concerns about de-industrialisation and an unlevel playing field are cementing an increasingly adversarial approach on the two sides of the Atlantic. Unilateral environmental measures adopted by developed countries have come under challenge as an expression of eco-imperialism. What are the implications for the transnational net-zero transition? How will the trade law system respond to these pressures?

Speaker:

Ignacio Garcia Bercero

Ignacio Garcia Bercero was Director in charge of Multilateral Affairs, Strategy, Analysis and Evaluation at DG Trade in the European Commission. Active at the European Commission since 1987, he retired in April 2024 and is now a non-resident Fellow at the influential Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.

After participating in the Uruguay Round negotiations and contributing to the preparation of the Doha Development agenda, he was appointed Head of Unit for Legal Affairs and WTO Dispute Settlement at the European Commission.

From 2005 until 2011 he was Director responsible for the areas of Sustainable Development and Bilateral Trade Relations (Russia, Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia). He was also the Chief Negotiator for the EU – Korea and EU – India Free Trade Agreements. From 2012 he was responsible for overseeing EU activities with the US and Canada, and was the Chief Negotiator for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

He has written several papers on trade and WTO law, and has been Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford (Saint Anthony’s College), UCL, and LSE Ideas. He holds a Law Degree from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, and a Master of Laws Degree (with Distinction) from UCL.

Chair:

Giulia Claudia Leonelli

This event will run on a first-come, first-serve basis.