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This session will address three key issues.
1. Technology Change and Rule-making: The time gap between the Uruguay Round and next set of WTO rules is approaching 20 years. How can the trade rules keep up with rapid technological change?

2. Government Support:  What is the role of government in supporting innovation and the digital economy? Should government support R&D? Sales? Export promotion? Financing? Is there a need for common norms in these areas beyond the rules in the Subsidies Agreement?

3. Cyber-Security and its Interface with Market Access and Data Protection: With today’s complex supply chains and needing to ensure integrity of networks and operations, do we need norms for governments? Does the ICT industry need common standards? Considering WTO non-discrimination rules, is there a need to clarify the WTO’s security exceptions? How do cyber-security measures interface with data protection and privacy?

Speakers

• Dr. Claude Barfield, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Former Consultant to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
• Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)
• Ulf Pehrsson, Vice-President, Global Government and Industry Relations, Ericsson