The World Trade Organisation released its annual bout of trade statistics and forecasts today. Clearly, the data show that the global slump in trade growth persists, despite prospects for a mild recovery. World trade posted a 1.3 percent expansion in 2016, lower than the 1.7 percent forecast by the …
Author: Iana Dreyer
Japan FTA: Brussels signals breakthroughs in ‘non tariff’ area
The European Commission is raising expectations that the EU Japan free trade agreement will bring significant reductions in ‘non tariff’ barriers to European exports. Brussels and Tokyo have been working intensely to reach the final stretches of what is now a four-year free trade agreement negotiation that has seen various ups and …
India: EU “awaiting reply” on trade dialogue after BIT upset
The EU has not been successful in convincing India to relaunch long-stalled bilateral free trade negotiations. Nor has it been able to stop New Delhi from cancelling its bilateral investment treaties with individual EU member states. So far, there seems no way out of the impasse, a letter written by trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström …
Dual use: Parliament draft report expands scope of Commission plans
The first draft of the European Parliament’s report on the EU’s current plans to overhaul its 2009 dual use export regulation goes further than the Commission’s initial proposals. The new dual use export control policy of the EU will expand export licensing requirements for certain technologies to situations where exports could …
Digital trade: G20 leaves EU industry hungry for more
G20 members agreed to a common agenda on digital trade at a meeting in Düsseldorf on Friday (7 April 2017). European business wants more ambition from the G20 ahead of the next WTO ministerial meeting. The main achievements of the German-hosted ministerial meeting that gathered countries as wide apart in development …
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In brief: EU and Australia edge closer to FTA talks
The EU and Australia have finalised a ‘scoping exercise’ and are now ready to launch preparations towards initiating free trade talks. The European Commission will now request a formal mandate from the EU’s member states to start free trade negotiations with the Oceanian country. The EU aims to conclude FTAs …
EU gears up China trade defence fight with increased duties on iron, steel
On Thursday (6 April 2017), the EU slapped definitive antidumping duties ‘hot-rolled’ iron products and on steel imported from China. The move comes only a few days after the WTO established a dispute settlement panel following a Chinese complaint in which Beijing accuses the EU of illegally continuing to apply its …
Philippines FTA: EU lets go on talks
The EU Commission is putting free trade talks with the Philippines on halt. In practice, this means it is not setting a new date for a new round of free trade negotiations given concerns over the country’s human rights record. FTA talks with the Philippines were launched in 2016 and are part …
Brexit comment: Britain gives in
The twenty seven member states of the European Union have shown an unusual level of unity in their general approach to how Brexit negotiations are to be led. As a result, they are already setting the terms of the UK’s EU withdrawal process, which formally began when the UK notified …
