Ernst-Ulrich Petersmann

Ernst-Ulrich Petersmann (born 26 August 1945 in Hamburg) is a German law professor who is regarded as a chief architect of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and its successor, the World Trade Organization.

Education and early career Petersmann studied law and economics at the Universities of Berlin, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Geneva, and the London School of Economics. He obtained his doctor juris utriusque from Heidelberg University in 1976, with a thesis on international investment law and economic integration, supervised by Judge Hermann Mosler of the International Court of Justice.

As a visiting professor, he has taught at institutions such as the Hague Academy of International Law, the EUI Academy of European Law, the Xiamen Academy of International Law, and universities across Europe, North and Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

In parallel to his academic work, Petersmann served as legal counsel to the German government between 1978 and 1980, representing Germany in European and United Nations institutions. and human rights. Notable publications include Constitutional Functions and Constitutional Problems of International Economic Law (1991), International Economic Law in the 21st Century: Constitutional Pluralism and Multilevel Governance of Interdependent Public Goods (2012), Transforming World Trade and Investment Law for Sustainable Development (2022). He has advocated for the integration of human rights norms into international economic law. He has developed the concept of multilevel constitutionalism, arguing that national constitutions alone are insufficient to address global public goods such as environmental protection, health, and economic stability.

Petersmann has been an active member of several academic and professional associations. He served as rapporteur (1993–1999) and later chairman (1999–2014) of the International Trade Law Committee of the International Law Association.

Selected writings

Economic Integration Law and Investment Legislation of Developing Countries. Basic Problems, Comparative Legal and Multidisciplinary Aspects. Baden-Baden 1974, Constitutional functions and constitutional problems of international economic law. International and domestic foreign trade law and foreign trade policy in the United States, the European Community and Switzerland. Fribourg 1991, International and European trade and environmental law after the Uruguay Round. London 1995, The GATT/WTO dispute settlement system. International law, international organizations, and dispute settlement. London 1997,