Félix Peña

Bio

Mr. Peña is Director of the Institute of International Trade of BostonBank Foundation; Professor at Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero and Director of the Center of European Studies; member of the Board of the Argentinian Council on Foreign Affairs (CARI), VicePresident of Fundación Gobierno y Sociedad, and President of the Academic Council at the Export-ar Foundation.

He was Undersecretary of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Economics (1998-99) in charge of Mercosur affairs. Previously, he was Undersecretary of Economic Integration in Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1991-92), and National Coordinator of the Common Market Group (Mercosur). Before 1998 he was member of Dr.Hector Alegria Law Firm and Executive Director of the Europe-Argentine Club, a private institution created by a major group of Argentine and European firms, for the promotion of cooperation and investment between European countries and Argentina.

He was Director of the INTAL-BID (Instituto para la Integración de América Latina) in Buenos Aires (1975-77), an institution in which he had previously served as Head of the Legal and Institutional Department (1966-75). After a few years he joined the Inter-American Development Bank at Washington, where he was Economic Integration Deputy Manager (1985-90), and Economic Integration Special Advisor for the President of the IDB (1990-91).

He is a founding member of the CARI where he performed as Academic Secretary in 1976 until 1981. He was Undersecretary of Economic International Relations in Argentina´s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1982 till 1983. He has been advisor of the Fundación Mediterranea and the Fundación Andina, he also has been consultant for the IDB, UNIDO, ALADI, the Andean Group, SELA, SIECA, the ECLAC, the OAS, UNDP, UNCTAD and the United Nations Commission on Transnational Corporations.

In 1973 he was visiting scholar in the Institute of International Relations, University of Berkeley, California, working with Professor Ernst Haas. From 1970 through 1974 he was a member of the Grupo de Estudios Jurídicos Interamericanos, organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Also he has been professor at the Universidad del Salvador, (School of Law and School of Political Science), at the Universidad de Belgrano (graduate seminars), at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (Mercosur Master) and at the Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales (Economic Integration Master).

In the legal field, he has had an active academic performance in the area of economic integration and international trade. He founded and was director for nearly ten years of "Derecho de la Integración", a review which was published from 1966 through 1977 by the INTAL-BID. He also directed the INTAL legal research group specialized in the economic integration law and international economic law.

Academic Background

  • BA in Law, Universidad del Litoral Law School in Santa Fe (1962)

  • PhD in Law, Universidad de Madrid (1962-65)

  • European Law degree, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium (1965)

  • Economics, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

Areas of Expertise

  • International economic relations

  • Economic integration

Present Position (s)

  • Director of the Institute of International Trade of BostonBank Foundation

  • Professor at Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero

  • Director of the Center of European Studies,  Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero

Previous Position (s)

  • Undersecretary of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Economics (1998-99)

  • Director of the INTAL-BID (Instituto para la Integración de América Latina) in Buenos Aires (1975-77)

  • Inter-American Development Bank at Washington, where he was Economic Integration Deputy Manager (1985-90)

  • Economic Integration Special Advisor for the President of the IDB (1990-91)

  • Undersecretary of Economic International Relations in Argentina´s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1982 - 1983

Other Activities and Memberships

  • Member of EU-LDC Network in investment and trade sponsored by the Netherlands Institute of Economics

  • Member of the Working Group for European Union-Mercosur negotiations sponsored by Chaire Mercosur at Sciences-Po, Paris

Publications

He often writes in newspapers of Argentina and Brazil.  Mr. Peña's most recent publication.

  • Félix Peña, "Momentos y Perspectivas: La Argentina en el Mundo y en América Latina", EDUNTREF, Buenos Aires 2003.

Current Research Projects
Recommended Links

Areas of Interest

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