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Balancing Open Investment and National Security Concerns Presentation: Carolyn Ervin Director, Financial and Enterprise Affairs at the OECD Discussants: Stuart E. Eizenstat, Covington & Burling and Wes Scholz, US Department of State

Event Description:

Investment across national borders has been a strong driver for growth and prosperity around the world. But heightened concerns about national security and protecting strategic industries have led many countries to tighten their controls of foreign investment. Governments have a responsibility to protect their populations. But can they tighten their investment controls without discouraging productive investment and without triggering restrictive reactions around the globe? Carolyn Ervin, OECD Director of Financial Affairs, will discuss how OECD and other non-member countries are trying to solve this problem.

Biographies:

Carolyn Ervin is OECD Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. During over twenty years at the OECD, Ms Ervin held posts in several areas. She was Director of the Secretary-General’s Office from 2000 to 2005. As Counselor in DAF in the 1990s she led the project to negotiate the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and was a main drafter of the OECD Jobs Study. During the 1980s and 1990s she handled program and budget issues in the Secretary-General’s office, and helped to set up the Centre for Co-operation with the Economies in Transition. Prior to joining the OECD Ms Ervin spent six years in the United States diplomatic service.

Stuart E. Eizenstat, partner at Covington & Burling, heads the firm’s international practice. His work at Covington focuses on resolving international trade problems and business disputes with the US and foreign governments, and international business transactions and regulations on behalf of US companies and others around the world. During a decade and a half of public service in three U.S. administrations, Ambassador Eizenstat has held a number of key senior positions, including chief White House domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981); U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs, and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration (1993-2001).

Wes Scholz has been Director of the Office of Investment Affairs since 1995. Mr. Scholz represents the United States at the OECD Investment Committee and serves as its vice chairman. His offices’ responsibilities include coordinating State Department positions for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) management of the US bilateral investment treaty (BIT) program, State Department participation in US free trade agreement (FTA) investment negotiations, representation of the United States in multilateral investment discussions at UNCTAD and other international fora, participation in regional investment fora including APEC and NAFTA, and provision of foreign policy guidance to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Mr. Scholz also serves as the US National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises.