EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström has not minced her words in a speech in Brussels on Monday (6 February 2017) at a business meeting ahead of the impending publication by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China’s of its annual report on trade barriers in the Asian country. The speech comes …
Author: Iana Dreyer
Responding to Trump: Top EU think tank suggests EU adopt own border adjustment tax
The EU should respond in kind to US plans to introduce discriminatory tax on corporations, argues a scholar at the highly respected economics think tank Bruegel in Brussels. The US government is introducing widely discussed tax reforms that would involve a discriminatory border tax adjustment, or ‘destination tax’. US tax …
Commission: Member states need to meet two Turkish demands to secure customs union deal
On Friday (03 February 2017) member states discussed EU plans to modernise its economic relationships with Turkey. In December, the Commission requested a negotiating mandate from the member states to modernise the more than 20-year-old customs union that binds the two neighbours. The move, though less controversial in principle than EU accession …
British government publishes Brexit ‘White Paper’ confirming exit from EU single market
The government in London has released a white paper it promised to the country’s parliament and to the public as a complement to a bill authorising the government to launch membership withdrawal negotiations with the EU. That bill was voted by an overwhelming majority on Wednesday (1 February 2017). …
Fox promises “no turbulence and no vacuum” as UK eyes EU customs union exit
Secretary of State for International trade Liam Fox has promised members of parliament a smooth transition for the United Kingdom’s trading relationships, despite political pressure from the EU to find a full new arrangement with the bloc within two years, and to completely leave the customs union. The UK …
EU and Mexico accelerate pace of free trade talks
It’s Trump time. The EU and Mexico have agreed to accelerate the pace of their ongoing negotiations to liberalise trade. “Together, we are witnessing the worrying rise of protectionism around the world. Side by side, as like-minded partners, we must now stand up for the idea of global, open …
Rising calls in EU for new trade initiatives in face of Trump trade moves
Tensions between the US administration and EU leaders are on the rise, as the US appears to attack in particular Germany on the trade front. Governments in the capitals and EU leaders have started responding. President Trump’s chief trade adviser Peter Navarro accused Germany of currency exploitation, the Financial …
Brexit trade update – US, Turkey, WTO, New Zealand
Post-Brexit trade agreements will not come along so quickly for Britain. But the country is slowly getting prepared for its post-Brexit trading relationships. A round-up of recent trade and Brexit related developments. The touting of future ‘trade deals’ made ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May’s state visit to the United States …
EU trade agenda: week 30 January-3 February 2017
As London talks trade agreements with third countries while it prepares to leave the EU, there are increasingly questions as to whether it is breaching EU rules and negotiating agreements with third countries illegally. Last week in Brussels the worries focused on Australia and South Africa. Now that Britain has announced …
Blog: A look back at the first trade week in Trump-world
This week has been dense with at times dramatic trade policy events in the EU but also globally. It’s worth having a look back. A blog by Iana Dreyer. “America first” This week has begun under the sign of Donald Trump initiating a trade war with Mexico and …
