Andżelika Kuźnar

The aim of the study is to identify the effects of free trade and investment protection agreements between the EU and Vietnam. We argue that these agreements are part of a broader strategy, pursuing not only economic but also socio-political objectives. They affect relations between the parties, but also have a pluri- or even multilateral dimension.

The Pacific region is confronted with many challenges that determine its importance in international relations. The aim of the study is to analyse the possibilities of cooperation of countries in this region – geographically close but with different historical experiences and differing in terms of socio-political and economic systems at the time of instability of US politics. Changes in this pol- icy are a source of turbulence in the region and transregional relations. In interdisciplinary economic and legal research we use methods of economic qualitative and quantitative analysis as well as legal methods of studies on international institutions. We positively verify the thesis that lasting and deep regional and transregional cooperation is determined by the representation of common values, and geographic proximity alone is not enough for such cooperation to take place. The barrier for the cooperation may be the inability to work through the past experience and in- stability, resulting from the changes in US policy.

An increasing number of trade agreements contains regulations on geographical indications (GIs). The European Union is one of the main proponents of including them in such agreements. It also aims to raise the protection to the level guaranteed in the EU. Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), under negotiation since July 2013, resulted in a return to the discussion of the desired scope and level of protection of GIs. The aim of the article is to assess whether the current level of GI protection in the EU and US is sufficient to secure the rights of GI holders and to indicate the roots of tensions in this area between the two parties. The research was carriedn out through the studies of literature and the critical analysis of the legal systems of the two parties of TTIP as compared to the multilateral system of GI protection guaranteed by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The results show that the European system gives the producers of GI much greater protection than other countries, including the US and other WTO members. As a result, the EU desires to raise the international standards to the EU levels. One of the reasons of stronger protection of GI holders’ rights in the EU is the economic significance of the market for GI products. Other reasons include political, social and cultural differences – and these are especially difficult to overcome in the course of trade negotiations.