policy

I am regularly linking my research with policy-oriented work at various levels, participating in legislative processes and litigation, giving legal advice to governments, international organizations and NGOs, training officials and, more generally, writing policy pieces.

official submissions and policy impact

2021. (with other authors), “Subsidy Control – Designing a New Approach for the UK – Response to Public Consultations”, submission to the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, consultation on the proposed subsidy control system, March 31

In preparing the Impact Assessment preceding the public consultation (February 11, 2001), the Department for Business made use of my work on subsidies (and in particular Rubini (2015) Rethinking International Subsidy Disciplines).

2020. (with other authors), submission to the European Commission in the context of the public consultation on the White Paper on on Levelling the Playing Field as Regards Foreign Subsidies, September 24

In its subsequent Impact Assessment Report (dated May 5, 2021) the Commission acknowledges it has used various sources in its preparation (see pp. 79-80). In doing so, it explicitly lists few of them, including one academic piece only – an old piece I co-authored with Gary Hufbauer and Thomas Moll (2008).

2013. Amicus curiae brief submitted to Appellate Body of the WTO in the context of the disputes: Canada – Certain Measures Affecting the Renewable Energy Generation Sector (WT/DS412) and Canada – Measures Relating to the Feed-In Tariff Program (WT/DS412, WT/DS426), 12 March 2013

2012. The WTO Panel Report, China – Countervailing and anti-dumping duties on grain oriented flat-rolled electrical steel from the United States (“China – GOES”), WT/DS414/R, footnote 104 to paragraph 7.86) cited my 2010 OUP monograph. Academic citations are extremely rare in WTO jurisprudence.

expert testimony

2020. Evidence given to the House of Lords, EU Internal Market Sub-Committee, March 12. The evidence focused on the level-playing-field mechanism in the context of the EU and the UK trade negotiations. Many points and suggestions submitted in the evidence sere incorporated in the letter sent by Baroness Donaghy to Mr Paul Scully MP, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on April 3, 2020

policy dialogue and research

2016-2020. I was part of the ‘Deep Integration’ Project of the World Bank, being specifically responsible for creating two datasets mapping the provisions on subsidies and state enterprises in more than 280 preferential trade agreements.

2012-2016. I participated in the prestigious E-15 Initiative that “convenes world-class experts and institutions to generate strategic analysis and recommendations for government, business and civil society geared towards strengthening the global trade system”. I was in particular responsible for subsidy issues of the sectoral ‘Clean Energy Technologies’ group, and a core member of the horizontal Task Force on ‘Rethinking Subsidy Disciplines’.

policy papers and reports

See publications

advice and training

I have wide-ranging experience in providing legal advice and training on international and EU matters to various governments, international organizations and NGOs.

arbitrator and trade sustainability expert, EU trade agreements

2022. In July the European Commission Included me in the pool of individuals eligible for appointment as both arbitrators for trade and sustainable development (TSD) experts in bilateral disputes under trade agreements with third countries.

professional qualifications and affiliations

2000. Solicitor of England and Wales (non-practising), Solicitors Regulatory Authority (‘SRA’)

1998. Avvocato, Milan Bar (non-practising, registered in the special Roll of full-time academics)