News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Sunday, May 4, 2025
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on European Union – United States relations that takes a conciliatory tone towards Washington, despite the recent deterioration of bilateral political, security and trade relations. MEPs called on the US to scrap its aluminium and steel tariffs on the EU and to work with …
The European Parliament adopted a new resolution on EU-China relations. China is a divisive topic in the European Union. Yet the report, adopted in a comparatively smooth process with a strong majority of 530 MEPs, can be said to reflect a consensus view of the bloc’s political establishment on the …
With the current surge in anti-system parties with protectionist rhetoric, trade policy professionals might be forgiven for thinking that the next European Parliament could turn more hostile to trade liberalisation and trade agreements than the one whose legislature will end early next year. VoteWatch.EU, a think tank specialising in data-driven …
Robert Lighthizer and Cecilia Malmström qualified their first formal meeting following the July Trump-Juncker trade truce as “constructive”. The two sides are trying to firm up the contours of a trade ‘deal’ to counter a potential descent into tit-for-tat tariff escalation after the United States imposed duties on steel and aluminium …
This week, EU relations with the United States and China, EU-Mercosur negotiations and a trade ministers’ meeting in South America will dominate the picture. USTR Robert Lighthizer will be in Brussels today to follow up with trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström on July’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and the …
A quick Friday blog post for the Brexit-obsessed among our readers before heading into the week-end. Britain’s House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee’s released the transcript of a meeting with the EU’s lead negotiator Michel Barnier and his number two, Sabine Weyand. The text offers some interesting insights into the …
It’s been an intense week on transatlantic trade and Brexit trade front. Below, other interesting bits of news in EU trade. EU-Mercosur focus A lot of noise, little extra substance on EU-Mercosur free trade talks this week. Next week, European negotiators will fly to South America for a 36th round …
The United Kingdom is expected to finalise legislation in the coming months that would give the government a legal basis for its coming independent trade policy. While practically all areas of legislation will affect trade and trade policy in some way, we concentrate on two crucial texts: the ‘Taxation (Cross-border …
The Department for International trade is working hard behind the scenes to try to ‘roll over’ as many EU free trade agreements as possible for Brexit date. Several months ago, DIT officials were often heard making optimistic statements about the likelihood of having these agreements ready by next March. How …
Welcome to the jungle. The title of a 1990s song by US rock group Guns ‘n’ Roses seems apt in the world that EU trade policy is facing this autumn. It is a world at risk of descending into lawlessness, where guns start to prevail over roses in the international …
