News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Fresh Eurostat data reveal EU investors, normally the US’ biggest foreign direct investors, shunned the United States in election year 2016. Negative investor sentiment was mutual across the Atlantic, it seems. The context is a sharp drop in outward EU foreign direct investment overall to € 186 bn (£ 166 bn) …
There’s been a frenzy of EU trade related activity this week. It looks like it’s a big rush before the summer lull. Here a curation of what we found interesting. EU and WTO round-up The EU is pressing its fellow WTO members on fisheries subsidies ahead of the Buenos Aires …
Today we will be brief….. Antique goods import licences to fight ISIS The Commission announced the launch of a new regulation that would require import licences for “archeological objects, part of monuments that have been dismembered and for rare manuscripts and incunabula” that are more than 250 years …
The EU and Mexico have had an extensive two weeks of negotiations on the upgrade of their 2001 FTA between 21 June and 5 July 2017. A Commission report circulated to member states but not made public and seen by Borderlex reveals that although the talks have overall been productive, there …
The European Parliament has started working on the EU’s revised so-called ‘IPI’ regulation. Rapporteur Daniel Caspary (EPP, Germany) is not entirely happy with the proposed changes to the EU’s International Procurement Instrument legislation. The EU is working on a revision of a regulatory proposal initiated in 2012 under then trade commissioner …
The Foreign Trade Association, the EU’s main retailing and light industry organisation, released a new position paper on EU plans to adapt its trade defence methodology as it moves to do away with ‘non market economy’ status for countries like China. The organisation calls on the European Parliament to review its demands. The move came …
The EU is preparing to launch negotiations to modernise a 2002 Association Agreement with Chile that includes a free trade agreement. Trade MEPs agreed on their wish list for the negotiations during a trade committee vote on Tuesday (11 July 2017). Agreement did not go without a small amendment game over the issue of …
The European Parliament’s trade committee examined an initial working document put together by Marietje Schaake (ALDE, NL) on digital matters in trade policy. The document, presented on Monday (10 July 2017) calls for an ambitious international commercial strategy for all things digital, while also asking that trade be “used as …
Borderlex’s editor Iana Dreyer on Talk Media News radio programme Wake dissecting the EU Japan Free Trade Agreement alongside the Peterson Institute’s Caroline Freund and Brooking’s Joshua Meltzer. Listen HERE.
Diplomats at the G20 summit in Hamburg hosted by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel managed to cobble together a compromise text promising not to resort to trade protectionism. Whether their joint statement will eliminate the threat of trade wars or, possibly, the tearing apart of the World Trade Organization, remains to be …
