With a new era come new challenges. So, what are the challenges of the rise of ‘soft law’ in lieu of trade agreements? The conference, organised by Professor Elaine Fahey at City Law School entitled “Trade Negotiations, Trade Policy and Law-Making in an Era of Soft Law” explored not only the possible challenges of such non-binding agreements, but also their effectiveness, impact, and most importantly, whether the EU is emerging as a leader or laggard in this new era. Below is a summary of each panel’s discussions, where experts including academics, practitioners and think-tanks came together to discuss such issues.