News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Monday, May 5, 2025
It hasn’t been an easy week for the EU. Just as member state leaders felt they might be nearing a deal with US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross that could spare the EU tariffs on steel and aluminium before a temporary exemption expires next week, the Trump administration initiated an …
Today, the UK released slides on the Framework for the Future EU UK Economic Partnership. How much of it will fly with the EU is an open question. A novelty is emerging with Brexit in the world of international trade negotiations: the exchange of published PowerPoint slides. The advantage …
Theresa May’s government has started articulating proposals for the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU, which both sides are discussing this week in Brussels. Among them is the idea that data issues merit more than a ‘plain vanilla’ EU adequacy decision to guarantee safe and secure cross-border …
A ‘deal’ could be materialising between the Washington and Brussels ahead of the 1 June deadline for US tariffs on steel and aluminium to kick in. It is not yet clear whether all EU member states would approve the arrangements, or if it would hold within the US administration. …
The European Commission requested a mandate from member states to redefine its tariff rate quotas under the World Trade Organization as Britain is set to leave the bloc in less than one year. The UK and the EU need to establish separate tariff and services schedules in the WTO …
There’s little that is really new to report on the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held today in Brussels. The EU is not nurturing strong hopes to be exempted from import restrictions from the United States. Australia and New Zealand trade negotiations to begin by July As expected the …
This has been another big week in EU trade. Member states managed to cobble together a joint approach to US President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariff threat. The EU lost two World Trade Organization cases – the big-ticket Airbus case and the more symbolic Pakistan plastic pellets case …
The EU has offered to negotiate a trade agreement with the US in return for a permanent exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs. But chances of success are limited. What is more, the EU-US row over the tariffs is becoming the lesser problem in the wider transatlantic relationship, writes Iana …
There have been a few developments and clarifications on the variety of bilateral free trade agreements under way in the EU in recent days. So here are some updates on where things stand with Mexico, Singapore, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. EU-Mexico ‘agreement in principle’ – next steps …
The EU is doing its homework to prepare for a political agreement with the United Kingdom in October on the bloc’s future relationship with its departing member: today it came up with a structure on how it aims to approach the matter. A powerpoint slide released today by EU …
