About the Laboratory

The Laboratory for the Study of Public Interest Protection under Economic Sanctions at HSE University’s Faculty of Law focuses primarily on research and teaching issues concerning the legal protection of Russian interests within the WTO, general international law, Eurasian Economic Union law, and Russian domestic law.

Russia is currently party to 15 disputes within the WTO. In seven of these, it serves as a complainant, while it is a defendant in the other eight. Experts believe that the number of disputes involving Russia will grow significantly in the near future. In addition, all member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), with the exception of Belarus, are members of the WTO. In this respect, Russia faces a twofold task: protecting its rights both as a sovereign state and as a member of the EAEU within the WTO. The Laboratory aims to train specialists who will be able to fill a significant shortage in this field in Russia.

In addition to issues regarding Russia’s rights as a state that occupies both offensive and defensive positions, the Laboratory is also focused on a number of other issues concerning the application of sanctions, e.g., the legitimacy of their imposition, the relationship with human rights, and grounds for challenging them.

Finally, the Laboratory’s work will lead to the development of a new master’s programme in International Trade Law, Finance, and Economic Integration; development of new materials for the following courses: WTO Law, International Dispute Resolution, and Modern Problems of International Economic Law, as well as participation in the ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law and the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.