Call for Papers Economic Financial Integration through the Regulatory Framework: Steering Legal Aspects

nbsp;

Call for Papers

Economic Financial Integration
through the Regulatory Framework: Steering Legal Aspects

nbsp;

The Institute of Law (IoL) at Birzeit University is
pleased to announce a competition for research papers on the theme of ldquo;European
Economic Financial Integration through the Regulatory Framework: Steering
Legal Aspects.rdquo; This
competition is funded by a grant provided to the IoL by the Jean Monnet
Programme ldquo;Lifelong Learning Programmerdquo;. This call is
available to individual researchers worldwide, who focus primarily on European Union Law and
EU Institutions. The IoL financial contribution will cover flight tickets
(economy), accommodation and daily expenses.

The IoL was established in 1993, with
a mission to contribute to the evolution of legal structures and the rule of
law in Palestine.nbsp;The IoL has, among others, established interdisciplinary
research programmes under the ldquo;law and society, law and economy and legislative
review disciplinesrdquo;. For more details, please refer to the IoLrsquo;s website at http://lawcenter.birzeit.edu/iol/en/index.php.

nbsp;

Context

In the world of globalized economy, the
issue of integration is crucial. One significant tool in the economic
integration is a robust legal and regulatory framework. The activities of this
project would clarify this tool form its various aspects in an analytical manner.

The European experience in the field of the legal
framework of economic integration seems impressive and might constitute a
useful model in terms of initiating regional integration. Such integration in
the case of Palestine is vital and of interest to the policy-makers in the
region. Currently, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan are both about to
discuss the ability to join the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the
Gulf. In addition, the PA has held joint trade agreements with Jordan and
Egypt, granting preferential treatment to certain Palestinian products, and
unilateral custom-free entry of Palestinian products is allowed into Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Morocco. The PA also
enjoys several trade agreements with some countries e.g., USA, Canada, EFTA
States, Russia and EU. It is also crucial, in the eve of the so called ldquo;Arab
Springrdquo;, to address the impact of the ongoing change on the regional
integration opportunities.

Since the introduction of the economic and
monetary integration between countries with different characteristics and
levels of development requires careful groundwork and scrutiny, the proposed
project would shed lights on such issues from the cost and benefit scale. In
addition, as the Euro-Mediterranean Interim Association Agreement on trade and
cooperation between the European Community, of the one part, and the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority of
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, of the other part is still in place, the
project would address possible kind of integration or developments between
Palestine and the EU. This is also useful for the EU since the European region
is becoming more open to the outside world as trade integration within the euro
area becomes stronger. Since economic adjustment processes are enhanced by economic and financial
integration and are crucial for the proper functioning of the economies, the
outcomes of the project would advise on vital concerns needed for Palestinian
and other jurisdictions integration.

Objectives

The major aim of this project is to initiate a serious
attention to the EU integration approach in the region in terms of searching
for possible ways to benefit from the EU experience. This would serve the
current dialogue in some neighbourhood countries about the opportunities and
challenges on economic integration. By shedding light on key driving legal
issues in the EU model on integration, the mentioned dialogue might achieve
some progress. To this
effect, the project attempts to have adequate answers tonbsp; a set of questions e.g., to what extent the
Arab League can activate its competent bodies and protocols of Arab integration
in light of the political change that the Arab world is witnessing? Can the
European experience offer any lessons to push the integration process in the
Arab World? What should the PA do in terms of structural and legal reforms to
appropriately comply with the integration theory?

To reach reliable and comprehensive
outcomes, the research project will cover various stages in the process of
European economic integration. After doing so, the work-team, in accordance with
analytical and inductive approaches, will advise on possible revisions to the
Palestinian legislative agenda in the framework of the minimum integration
requirements on the theoretical and policy levels.

The final goal of this project is to establish a serious
and responsible debate on the integration theory and to identify the
opportunities for legal convergence regionally and their potential impact on
the development process.

Scope of the Activities

This project consists of one workshop and
a conference. In the workshop (three consecutive days), a diverse selected
topics on the subject matter would be addressed (up to 18 topics). It is
suggested to debate on the: general policy of economic integration, financial
policy objectives, free movement of capital, financial crisis, banking,nbsp; securities,nbsp;
investment funds,nbsp; financial
services,nbsp; payment services,nbsp; financial crime, competition, consumer
protection and infringements. In the conference, there will be ten speakers
presenting different topics. These topics will be linked to the debatable
issues raised in the workshop and should have steering legal impacts on
economic and financial integration. Later on, the papers presented would be
published in a special publication after giving speakers sufficient time to
edit and approve the papers.

nbsp;

Expected outcomes

The outcomes of this project will be a series of
working papers and a book. The book would be translated into Arabic and
disseminated to the universities and interested persons. The IoL may also pursue the publication of
selected papers in a leading journal. The Institute of Law and the Faculty of Law at Birzeit
University will seek to build on these outputs in the future. The findings and
recommendations would assist the Palestinian scholars, officials and researchers
in handling the concluded problematic issues with the concerned bodies.

Specific topics

We welcome unpublished papers which are not under review by any other
conference or journal. Topic areas include, but are not limited to:

Economic Integration Issues:

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
The general Policy of Economic Integration

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Institution-building, Confidence-building and Integration Opportunities

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Customs Unions and
Free Trade Areas

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Legal Foundations of Economic Integration

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Public Procurement and the EU Competition Rules

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Competition Polices

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Investment Funds: Legal Requirements

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Cross-border Companies Merger

nbsp;

Financial Integration Issues

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Free Movement of Capital

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Financial Policy Instruments in Developed Market-based Economies

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Banking Regulations: key Issues

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Securities Regulation: Discloser and Transparency

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Payment Services

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Trade in Financial Services

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Protection of the Economic Interests of Consumers of
Financial Services

nbsp;

Market and Transparency: Developmental Polices

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Safeguarding the Protection of Investors and Capital Marketsrsquo; Integrity,
Efficiency and Transparency

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Transparency Norms, the World Trade System and Free Trade Agreements

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Regulatory Cooperation to Remove Non-tariff Barriers to Trade in
Products: Key Challenges and Opportunities for the Palestine-EU Potential Trade
Agreements

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Required Legal and Structural Adjustments for Palestinian-European
Possible Aspects of Integration

middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;
Arab Economic and Financial Integration: Challenges and Prospects

Submission
Guidelines

The project organisers will follow a two-stage review
process. Authors are requested to submit extended abstracts of no more than 500
words in the first stage. The authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to
submit full papers (length: 15- 20 pages). Papers presented in the workshops,
unlike those presented in the conference, are not required to be fully reviewed
and edited.

Authors are kindly requested to submit their
contributions by email to the project coordinator at [email protected];

Working Language: Arabic English (translation
is available)

Important Dates:

Abstract submission: January 8, 2012.

Notification (Abstract): January 10, 2012.

Full working paper submission (4000-6000 words): February 15, 2013.

Estimated date of workshops: between 5-12 April 2013.

Selected papers for presentation in the conference:

Notification (Full Paper): May 5, 2013.

Revision submission (if necessary): May 15, 2013.

Final notification - May 20, 2013

Estimated Conference date: June 5-10, 2013

Contacts

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the
project coordinator Prof. Mahmoud Dodeen at 00970 597057078, Fax: 00970
22982137, or [email protected].