News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
It should have been a formality. The EU Vietnam free trade agreement was due to be adopted at a meeting of trade ministers that was cancelled last week. This move followed on a decision by the Council not to hold ‘non essential’ Council meetings in Brussels in order to contain …
It’s not only trade itself that is disrupted by the ‘corona virus’. The global and European Union trade policy machinery is also grinding to a halt. Meanwhile trade restrictions are increasing on the back of the global sanitary crisis. The disrutiption of physical trade and global supply chains on the …
The European Commission is drowning media with new policy announcements. Those announcements are in turn drowned by the whole corona virus situation. Which is leading to cancelled meetings, and not least to disgraceful export restrictions of medical products within the EU. But back to traditional trade policy. We had more …
This is a coronavirus alert. The European Council is reducing the number of ministerial meetings to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. It was judged that the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) meeting scheduled on Thursday Week Ahead: FAC Trade did not have “pressing issues” to tackle – hence a …
This week’s main meeting in Brussels is one of trade ministers, gathering for a Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Thursday – coronavirus travel restrictions permitting. This is more of a stock-take meeting than one where big decisions will be taken. On the agenda: Formally approving the EU-Vietnam FTA. After the …
This week saw major announcements from the European Union on its plans on climate and tax for the coming years. These announcements, combined with continued uncertainties about transatlantic trade relationships, the UK’s exit from the EU, and the fallout from the corona virus epidemic, contributed to a truly febrile atmosphere …
The European Commission is planning to set a climate neutrality goal by 2050 into law. It hopes to get approval by the Council and the European Parliament for sweeping powers to mandate appropriate measures to get there. The central plank of a package of new climate measures announced today is …
World Trade Organization members took a series of small decisions at a still-ongoing General Council meeting in Geneva this week. Ambassadors also heard new proposals for change in the WTO by or under the leadership of the United States. Wide gaps among WTO countries remain on fundamental issues ahead of …
Britain will prioritise improving market access for its business services, financial services, transport and digital sectors in planned free trade agreement talks with the United States. This is a key message in negotiating objectives released today following a consultation process with stakeholders run by the Department for International Trade last …
It was quiet in Brussels this week. Winter holidays played a part – the coronavius probably less so. The main focus was the post-Brexit EU UK trade relationship, which we covered quite extensively this week. A European Parliament delegation flew out to Australia to talks trade relations….There are rumours of …
