News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Sunday, April 27, 2025
The calendar is a bit thin this week, though some news could come out of the two-day European Council meeting about WTO reform and Brexit. And it’s anyone’s guess what we might expect from the US and its unpredictable leader after China’s central bank said yesterday that it would unlock …
Today, EU and UK Brexit negotiators reiterated they want to avoid value-added tax and atomic Armageddon on 30 March. It has become abundantly clear that the United Kingdom and the EU will not have made sufficient progress on the terms of their separation to warrant a shift to discussions …
The biggest EU business association is calling on the European Commission, member states and the United Kingdom to up the ante in customs and trade compliance matters as the date of Britain’s exit from the bloc approaches rapidly and no tangible signs of an exit or free trade deal are …
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 …
Like the rest of the world, Switzerland is wondering how the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union will shape up after it leaves the EU next March. Yet more than for any third country, for the Swiss, a lot depends on the future UK-EU trading arrangements. The uncertainty …
The European Commission regularly sends notices to businesses to help them prepare for Britain’s departure from the EU as part of its so-called Brexit preparedness activities. A technical notice on ‘rules of origin’ released today is bound to send shivers across industries ranging from autos to chemicals. Industries with …
The European Union and the British government have gotten the ball rolling to establish the UK as an independent member of the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement. The GPA is a plurilateral accord inked in the 1990s that sets common rules and enshrines liberalisation commitments among its members …
There’s only one big event on the Brussels trade agenda this week – another negotiating round with Mercosur – but that doesn’t mean the coming days will be quiet. Between the start of US tariffs on European steel and aluminium, the EU’s decision to respond with a World Trade Organization …
Today, the UK released slides on the Framework for the Future EU UK Economic Partnership. How much of it will fly with the EU is an open question. A novelty is emerging with Brexit in the world of international trade negotiations: the exchange of published PowerPoint slides. The advantage …
Theresa May’s government has started articulating proposals for the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU, which both sides are discussing this week in Brussels. Among them is the idea that data issues merit more than a ‘plain vanilla’ EU adequacy decision to guarantee safe and secure cross-border …
