The European Union might very soon have its long-awaited ‘international procurement instrument’ as trilogue negotiations appear to be closing in.
Author: Iana Dreyer
WTO: Brussels, DC, London, Tokyo in preparations to remove Russia MFN status
The European Union’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization João Aguiar Machado confirmed that Brussels was preparing to unilaterally rescind Russia’s most-favoured-nation rights enjoyed as part of its membership of the global institution.
Ukraine invasion: Russia’s WTO status starts to unravel
Ukraine notified the World Trade Organization that it was applying a full trade embargo on Russia and no longer implementing the rules of the institution to Russia. Kyiv has also called on other members of the world trade body to do the same. It also wants Russia to be suspended …
Blog: A quasi-embargo on Belarus exports to EU
Amidst all the shattering economic and financial sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has not imposed restrictions on imports of Russian goods so far. But neighbouring Belarus is probably about to see a de facto embargo on all its headline exports to the EU. …
International procurement: trilogue negotiators aim for end-of-March conclusion
Trilogue negotiations on the long-awaited international procurement instrument are “advancing very well”, a French presidency source recently assured Borderlex. But whether France’s ambition to get the piece of legislation finalised by the end of March – i.e. in four weeks’ time – can be met still remains to be seen. …
Blog – Ukraine: A few thoughts on the EU’s Russia sanctions
The coming hours will be critical in defining how the European Union will react to Russia’s ruthless and bloody attack on Ukraine. At the time of writing this article, Thursday late evening, it is becoming clear that as heads of state gather in Brussels, the announced economic and financial sanctions …
Interview: United States and Europe can do a lot together in the Indo-Pacific
The United States will soon announce plans for an Indo-Pacific economic framework as part of its new strategy for the region. Europeans have also developed their own Indo-Pacific strategies. There is scope for transatlantic cooperation on trade and economic issues of common interest. Asia Society’s Wendy Cutler shares some thoughts …
Foreign subsidies regulation: ‘like-minded’ non EU business groups raise concerns
Businesses from Australia, India, Japan, Korea and the United States are not necessarily the main targets of the European Union’s new foreign subsidies regulation. But representatives from these countries’ business sectors, some of them among the top investors in the EU, are raising alarm bells about some procedural issues raised …
WTO investment facilitation negotiations: an update
What are the 105 countries negotiating a possible new international treaty on investment at the World Trade Organization actually negotiating about? A draft consolidated text of the negotiations obtained by Borderlex might offer a few clues as negotiators meet today to try to bring matters forward.
EU Chips Act codifies pandemic-era supply crisis management practice
The European Commission formally tabled a regulation “establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem”, also known as the EU ‘Chips Act’. The move codifies EU market interventions pioneered at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic whilst also trying to draw some lessons from these episodes, in particular …
