Expert on Europe

Salvatore Barillà is a PhD candidate at the School of Social and Political Science of the University of Edinburgh. He obtained a combined Bachelor and master’s degree in Law at LUISS University (Rome) and a double master’s degree in European Studies at LUISS University and in International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University (Beijing). His current research investigates EU-China trade disputes in the WTO. It focuses on the reasons why China and the EU decide to enter into a dispute with each other in the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism. In particular, it investigates the role of programmatic beliefs in governments' decision to pursue a trade dispute. He worked as a legal intern in multiple law firms in different countries, and as an intern at the commercial office of the Italian Embassy in Belgium. He is interested in International Political Economy, International Trade and Investment Law, and EU-China studies.