International Economic Law as Symphony: Thomas Cottier and the Harmonies of Trade

This open access book brings together some of the most eminent scholars of international trade to celebrate the scholarly, diplomatic, and institution-building achievements of Thomas Cottier, Professor Emeritus of International Economic Law at the University of Bern and founder of the World Trade Institute.Over his half-century career, Thomas Cottier has promoted the development of international trade law by shaping our understanding of how multiple layers of law interact to form a global legal system.While multilateral trade law is the “melody” of the system, it is made fuller by a host of regional and national layers of harmonising - and sometimes discordant - legal rules.Covering both general trade policy and the economic relations between Switzerland and the EU, the chapters examine Thomas Cottier’s fundamental belief in the necessity of studying the interaction of every level of governance - local, national, and international - when considering the policies of economic exchange be