News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
The current focus in policy discussions related to Brexit on both sides of the Channel is on a possible transition period to avoid an economically abrupt and damaging ‘cliff edge’. Economic players deplore a gap between the timeframes imposed by their business imperatives and the realities of the negotiations, including …
The French government announced an ‘action plan’ on the EU Canada CETA agreement on Wednesday (25 October 2017). A deep dive into the 20-page document reveals how Macron’s government is manoeuvring to make highly contested trade agreements back home palatable to his party base and the electorate when it puts …
The European Parliament gave its assent to and set its requirements for the launch and conclusion of free trade agreement negotiations with Australia and New Zealand. MEPs 452 voted in favour of the Australian agreement (126 against and 25 abstentions). New Zealand found less supporters, with 440 MEPs voting …
It’s a hot week in the World Trade Organization as members spar over disputes and trade remedies. On Wednesday (25 October 2017) the Committee of Antidumping Practices examined among others the EU’s new trade defence legislation. Eleven WTO members criticised the EU’s planned overhaul of the way it calculates dumping …
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled today that negotiations to upgrade the so-called Lisbon Agreement, an international treaty on the protection of geographical indications dating back to 1958, and overseen by the World Intellectual Protection Organization, are to be led under the EU’s exclusive competence as part …
The French government plans to put CETA to ratification in its national assembly in the second half of 2018. In the meantime Paris will work on means to introduce what it termed an “environmental veto” on investor-state disputes that could jeopardise climate policies, ministers announced today. The EU Canada …
MEPs from the trade committee feeding into a current report by the budget committee on the future of EU finances have suggested the EU introduce border environmental taxes as a means to increase its own resources – its own tax take – in future. The move comes as calls …
The ‘Donald Trump effect’ is being played out in full in the World Trade Organization as tensions over trade remedies and the dispute settlement bodies rise. This week WTO members are gathering in a series of meetings on trade remedies and dispute settlement. The US continues to bloc the …
The EU Commission made public the terms of the dispute settlement mechanism it tabled during the last round of trade negotiations with Mercosur in early October 2017 in Brasilia for the planned ‘sustainable development’ chapter. The EU body also released its assessment of this round of talks, revealing the most …
This week is no week of big gathering or events, but the trade policy churn in Brussels – and also in Geneva – is continuing unabated. The WTO will be holding working party and committee meetings on dispute settlement (today Monday 23 October 2017), on subsidies and countervailing measures …
