It’s as if everything absolutely had to happen before everyone goes on holiday: inking a deal with Japan, holding a summit with China that actually delivers on a joint statement, launching a WTO reform initiative, introducing steel safeguards, slapping dumping duties on electric bikes and making progress on Mercosur negotiations. …
Canada and CETA
A week in Brussels: CETA, ECJ, Vietnam, Cambodia
It’s been an eventful week in Brussels, culminating with the ongoing European Council – which we will cover separately. The fear of US tariffs on autos, that the multilateral trading system will unravel and China, and frustrations at the slow pace of Brexit negotiations (here and here) have all dominated …
CETA enters new troubled waters with Italy’s decision not to ratify
The future of the landmark EU-Canada free trade agreement CETA was thrown into doubt as Italy’s agriculture minister said his country would not ratify the accord because it didn’t sufficiently protect the names of certain Italian cheeses. The geographical indications chapter of the deal was contentious both with Canada …
Week ahead in EU trade: Council, TPC, Brexit, EU Parliament, Hong Kong
Expect plenty of post-Group of Seven summit articles in the aftermath of the two-day meeting that ended in the escalation of a clash over trade and US President Donald Trump’s refusal to endorse a communique. Closer to home, the focus will be on meetings of the Council, the Trade Policy …
Comment: EU trade agreement agriculture quotas are of little use
Import quotas on sensitive agricultural products opened in the EU’s latest FTAs appear to be of little use to both exporters and importers. The last round of EU-Mercosur trade negotiations held last week ended in acrimony. Both EU agriculture market access – aka quotas on beef, sugar and ethanol …
A week in Brussels: Malmström grilled in Paris, aluminium forum
It’s been mainly a week of background shuffling on Trump tariffs in the EU. Here some other interesting bits of news of interest to our readers. Macron party takes on Malmström on FTAs Trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström was in Paris on Tuesday doing the rounds on trade policy, …
EU FTA roundup – Negotiations, ratifications, mandates
EU free trade negotiations, ratifications and mandate releases have been on the slow lane recently compared to other trade policy files, as President Donald Trump and Brexit grab headlines and policymakers’ attention. Here’s an overview of where we are on the various files. Mercosur EU-Mercosur FTA negotiations are …
Investor-state: Court intra-EU ruling leaves CETA tribunal question open
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled today unequivocally that intra-European international investor-state arbitration tribunals are not compatible with EU law. Its summary judgement gives little insight into how it might rule on the compatibility of international investor-state tribunals set up by the European Union with third countries. …
Dispatch from Paris: How Macron’s pragmatism is winning the day on trade
France’s stance on trade policy under President Emmanuel Macron has puzzled many. Yet Macron’s pragmatist logic is now starting to become clearer as his government finds its ground on the trade politics front back home and US President Donald Trump forces Paris to stay focused on the strategic dimension of …
Brexit transition: EU won’t stop UK from talking to other trading partners
The United Kingdom won’t be blocked from negotiating or renegotiating international trade agreements with third countries during the Brexit transition period, as long as it doesn’t start applying them before the end of that period, EU member states clarified today. Although doing so is the British government’s formal …
