It may become one of the fastest pieces of legislation ever adopted in the European Union. Plans are moving quickly to introduce EU-wide rules for the screening of foreign direct investments. These were introduced in September 2017 in response to calls from France, Germany and Italy to keep an eye …
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Comment: After the G7, keep calm and carry on
After the disastrous Group of Seven summit in Canada, the EU will need to find ways to keep calm, focus on saving the WTO’s dispute settlement system and address some of the root causes of its disputes with the US – not least Germany’s current account surplus, argues Iana Dreyer.
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 …
A Week in Brussels: Polish schadenfreude, rapeseed vs palm oil, trumping ivory trade
The main obsession in Brussels this week has been the EU-US trade spat. All eyes will be on the Group of Seven meeting in Canada. Mercosur and EU negotiators have been working until the time of writing on narrowing gaps on ‘geographical indications’ protection and Mercosur’s offer on autos (rules of origin …
Beyond Brussels: Tweetfest darkens prospects of meaningful G7 summit
The first day of this weekend’s Group of Seven summit is set to turn into the Group of Six vs One, if recent Twitter exchanges are anything to go by. The one, in this case, as US President Donald Trump, who has already announced that he’ll skip tomorrow’s sessions on …
Steel and aluminium: Switzerland caught between US tariffs and EU safeguards
Switzerland is caught between a rock and hard place as the trade frictions between the European Union and the United States intensify. The Swiss are also seeking an exemption from planned EU safeguard measures on the metals. Switzerland is a small, open trading nation at the heart of Europe …
WTO to take fresh look at EU compliance with Airbus ruling
The EU says it’s complied with the latest World Trade Organization ruling that found illegal European aid for Airbus remains in place. The US disagrees. It will now be up to the WTO – yet again – to decide. The EU requested consultations with the US today to discuss …
EU tariffs on US products to kick in next month
The policy machinery in response to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on EU steel and aluminium is churning as planned. The College of Commissioners approved the final list of products on which it will apply duties on US imports as part of a retaliatory move to counter the metals levies. …
Week ahead in EU trade: Mercosur, US duties, aluminium, G-7, Brexit, UNCTAD
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 …
US tariffs: EU launches retaliation process but sticks to trilateral pledges
The EU reacted immediately to the Trump administration’s decision to apply tariffs of 25% and 10% on European steel and aluminium today. The bloc filed a trade complaint against the decision and is initiating a process that will lead to ‘rebalancing’ measures announced several weeks ago. In the meantime, trouble …