The General Council of the WTO met informally today to take stock of a range of issues, but most importantly to try to nail down a definitive date for the next ministerial conference – also known at MC12.
Author: Iana Dreyer
Energy Charter Treaty: EU seeks investor protection carve-out for fossil fuels
European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis was called to speak in today’s plenary session in parliament to update MEPs on the state of play in ongoing talks to ‘modernise’ the Energy Charter Treaty.
EU, India prepare to launch trade, investment agreement talks
The European Parliament’s international trade committee has begun work on plans to negotiate a trade, an investment protection and a geographical indications agreement between the European Union. This comes as the European Commission and the Indian government are preparing the ground to start working on concrete legal treaty text proposals …
COMMENT – EU goods trade sanctions on Russia : their details and their meaning
The details of the trade restrictions announced last Friday on Russia as part of a fourth round of sanctions adopted by Brussels in response to Moscow’s military attack on Ukraine were finally released on Tuesday evening. These involve a ban on steel imports and export restrictions on luxury items. They …
WTO : fourteen members put in question Russia’s MFN rights
Fourteen members of the World Trade Organization, counting the European Union as one, have formally announced that they were considering no longer offering the Russian Federation the most-favoured-nation rights it is normally entitled to as a member of the international organisation.
Foreign subsidies regulation: MEPs to haggle over monetary thresholds, non financial contributions
The journey of the new EU foreign subsidies regulation through the European Parliament promises to be a rocky but not impossible one as key dividing lines among political groups emerge over critical aspects of the new legislation.
IPI: MEPs concede in clause that would have diminished foreign influence in capitals
In a few weeks or months the European Union will have a new regulation in place that aims at fostering ‘reciprocity’ in public procurement markets. French minister for trade Franck Riester, who led trilogue talks on behalf of the French presidency of the Council, announced triumphantly that, with the political …
IN BRIEF: Russia – EU bans luxury exports, iron and steel imports
The European Union formally announced a long-awaited decision to suspend Russia’s most-favoured nation trading rights within the World Trade Organization.
G7 calls off Russia MFN status in WTO – EU keeps oil embargo option open
The G7 group of countries vowed to deny Russia the benefits of most-favoured nation treatment it currently enjoys in the World Trade Organization. This move could be followed by further announcements by other WTO members in the coming days and weeks.
Russia: EU goes slow on extra sanctions, WTO rights, as Moscow curbs commodities exports
Russia is pushing back against the sweeping economic sanctions imposed on it by Western nations and some of their allies in the Asia-Pacific following its military attack on Ukraine. This is already having a chilling effect on further ambitions in Brussels to target Russia’s economic interests. Moscow is also piqued …
