On Tuesday 19 July, Brazil and the EU clinched a deal in the WTO that expanded the South American bloc’s access to the EU market. After Croatia joined the EU in 2013, the country’s imports of products like beef and sugar were subject to higher tariffs and to stricter quotas. It …
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“Unravelling CETA” campaign in EU Parliament
A group of 8 MEPs from the centre and far left have launched a campaign against CETA called Unravelling CETA. The MEPs are from France, led by maverick French socialist Emmanuel Maurel, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Germany. The objectives of the campaign are not set out clearly, but the …
Sri Lanka on lengthy path to regain GSP Plus status
Since Sri Lanka has applied to regain its lost GSP Plus status. The government that came into power last year is aiming to break with the previous Rajapaska government’s track record on governance and human rights. After atrocities committed against the Tamil rebellion in 2009, the EU suspended the extra …
Employer groups and labour unions coordinate views on China market economy status
The Commission is set to hold a crucial meeting that will shape its decision on whether to grant China market economy treatment in its antidumping rules as Beijing thinks is required under its WTO accession terms. There’s been a flurry of lobbying and pushing and shoving in Brussels ahead of …
In brief: Member states endorse EU US ‘Privacy Shield’
The Council has endorsed the renegotiated Privacy Shield, the framework agreement between the EU and the US that allows US companies to transfer personal data to from the EU to the US. “This paves the way for the formal adoption of the legal texts and for getting the EU-U.S. Privacy …
Greens reject new EP report on EU trade strategy
The Green group joined the right-wing and left-wing populists in Parliament to reject a report on the EU’s November 2015 EU trade strategy Trade For All. The Parliament report on the strategy, drafted by an Italian Five Star Movement member Tiziana Beghin, entitled A forward-looking and innovative future strategy …
CETA ratification saga: EPP endorses Commission view – France ready to block
The CETA ratification saga continues unfolding. There’s been a stir since Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced on Wednesday that the Commission would put the Canada EU trade deal CETA to the member states next week with the suggestion that it is a deal that falls under the exclusive competence of …
In brief: EU and China holding BIT negotiation round
EU-China bilateral investment treaty negotiations for some reason appear to happen under the general media radar… The Commission wants to achieve market openings and investment protection provisions with China. The talks held so far since 2014 have advanced slowly, and no proper discussions on concrete market liberalisations nor on investment …
TTIP: A reality check on procurement markets
A new think tank paper says EU and US government procurement markets are similarly closed to foreign bidders, and that TTIP is a good opportunity for Washington and Brussels to look at improvements in national legislations. But the EU’s current approach to procurement in international trade, which is to threaten its …
On Borderlex PRO in recent days
Borderlex PRO is our daily news update on EU trade policy and politics for trade policy professionals with a stake in what’s happening in Brussels, the capital of the world’s biggest trading bloc. Our headlines over the last three working days have included:
