Dear readers and subscribers. August is the only moment our journalists and staff can take a break from the churn and turbulence of trade policy. We will be back reporting full time for you on 24 August 2020 – fit and ready to face a new year of exciting and …
Author: Iana Dreyer
Week wrap-up + August preview: WTO, UK-Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, ASEAN, Airbus tariffs
This has been very intense last week of July on WTO issues – be it agriculture, or the quest for a new leadership in the organisation. On Friday, WTO members agreed to follow General Council head David Walker’s recommendations on how the new WTO director-general will be selected after 7 …
Blog: Will the EU be able to stand united behind one WTO DG candidate?
It has happened regularly in the past: the EU may not be in a position to hold a united position on whom it backs as a candidate to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization. One might be surprised at this notion given that trade policy is an …
EU China economic dialogue held amidst rising human rights concerns
It’s very rare to hold two High Level Economic Dialogues between the EU and China within two months – the last one was on 10 June. But the times are exceptional enough to warrant it. The two sides did not release a joint statement after the meeting. But the European …
WTO Corner: People news, E-commerce updates, agriculture spats
The Geneva trade scene will be run by a different set of people as of this autumn….E-commerce negotiators now have a plan. And agriculture producers are be sparring about support to the sector under COVID-19 conditions. People churn in Geneva So, the WTO’s preferred candidate for the post to lead …
EU faces appeal dilemma after anti-dumping method loss at WTO against Russia
On Friday a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel established at the behest of Russia ruled that the European Union’s ‘cost adjustment methodology’ relating to how it accounts for raw material input costs on exports of products it deems ‘dumped’ was not compliant with the global trade rule-book. The ruling …
Week Ahead: transatlantic; WTO disputes and e-commerce; UK and US, Japan
While Brussels quiets down somewhat on the trade front, the WTO in Geneva will see a spurt of activity before it shuts down for a few weeks in August. No holiday break for London as it continues on its winding path to a post-Brexit FTA network. In Brussels we will …
WTO director-general candidate Amina Mohamed: I have a record and it’s good
Borderlex’s Iana Dreyer spoke to one of the leading candidates in the current race to succeed Roberto Azevêdo at the helm of the World Trade Organization. Amina Mohamed is former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya. She also served as ambassador to the WTO. Among others she acted as …
London trade week round-up
Chris Horseman contributed to this article. Fight over parliamentary scrutiny of trade policies The UK’s new draft Trade Bill completed its passage through the House of Commons this week, with the government’s proposed text being adopted without any significant changes. Proposed amendments to give members of parliament greater powers to …
Week in Brussels: Airbus subsidies, TDI, corporate responsibility, Moldova, Corona
In many ways this has been a week full of trade defence news: the first European Court of Auditors report on EU trade defence policy was released this week, and Turkey decided to go to court in Geneva over the EU’s steel safeguard. There is also the ever-simmering tariff guerilla …
