The ICC European Conference on International Arbitration aims to provide answers to the most pertinent questions relating to arbitration in Europe. It is a must attend event for arbitration professionals wanting to keep pace with latest arbitral institutional developments and the evolution of arbitration across the continent.

WilmerHale Special Counsel Professor Dr. Maxi Scherer will speak during the panel “Tariff Wars and Supply Chains: Disputes in the making?” The panel will discuss how the Trump Administration has been making waves by announcing or threatening new tariffs with United States' trading partners. In December 2019 alone, the Trump Administration announced or threatened new tariffs in response to three disputes: steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and Argentina to counter the alleged manipulation of their currencies; punitive duties of up to 100% on $2.4 billion in French agricultural and consumer products and increased tariffs on consumer goods from China if a trade deal with Beijing is not reached. The first phase of a U.S.-China trade agreement was finally inked mid-January 2020, cooling tensions in an election year. With the globalization of supply chains, diversified manufacturing, and international customer bases; it is the rule—not the exception—that companies find themselves in the middle of the Trump Administration's trade disputes. The strategies that companies would usually take to mitigate the impact of increased tariffs on their business—such as moving manufacturing abroad to avoid country of origin rules or importing into free trade zones and bonded facilities—may disrupt contractual relationships at all levels of the supply chain. This panel will aim to identify the types of disputes that could arise in this context and how they may play out with European parties.