Dr Holger Hestermeyer Specialist Advisor to House of Lords Sub-Committee

Dr Holger Hestermeyer, from The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London, has been appointed as Specialist Advisor to the House of Lords EU External Affairs Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee investigates future trade in goods between the UK and the EU and is one of several inquiries into the key issues that will arise in the forthcoming negotiations on Brexit.

Of his new role, Dr Hestermeyer said, ‘I welcome the opportunity to advise the Committee on the complex legal challenges Brexit poses in the area of trade law and I am delighted to have been invited to take on this role. The area of trade law has undergone massive changes in the last two decades and a proper understanding of the challenges and opportunities is vital to the UK’s continued economic success. King’s College London’s leading research can be put to use here to the benefit of the UK.’

Dr Hestermeyer advised the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee on the recent report examining Britain’s post-Brexit trade options. The Sub-Committee is currently considering trade in goods.

Dr Hestermeyer’s research and previous experience ensure that the Sub-Committee obtains the best advice available. Dr. Hestermeyer is Co-Executive Vice President of the Society of International Economic Law, Director of the King's Forum on International Dispute Resolution as well as a Senior Research Fellow at The Dickson Poon Transnational Law Institute. Before joining King’s College London he was a Référendaire at the Court of Justice of the European Union and head of a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany.

Focussing on the recent Sub-committee report Dr Hestermeyer said ‘The UK’s decision to leave the EU is likely to fundamentally change its terms of trade with the 27 other Member States, and with the rest of the world. In this report the Sub-Committee considers the principal possible frameworks for trade after this time, namely the European Economic Area (EEA), a customs union with the EU, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or trade based on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.’

‘I hope the report contributes to informing public debate. An informed discussion is vital, because whatever option the country ultimately chooses, it will likely impact UK policies for a long time to come.”