Is the French government finally realising that blocking progress in bilateral trade agreements might not help its much-touted ‘strategic autonomy’ and supply chain resilience agenda that defines the country’s current rotating EU Council presidency?
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Week in Brussels: Russia WTO dispute now on, steel safeguard revision, aluminium
Borderlex will be in recess as of tomorrow (22 December) for about a fortnight due to the festive season. So we are fast-forwarding our usual Friday Week in Brussels column for you…
Week Ahead: Spanish olives, Liz Truss takes over EU portfolio, China-Lithuania, Christmas
Welcome to the last working week of the year 2021. Moment of truth on the Appellate Body for the Biden administration Today (Monday 20 December) the Dispute Settlement Body in the World Trade Organization will meet for the last time of the year. Two new panels are set to be …
Festering Chinese Lithuania blockade emboldens anti-coercion instrument proponents
A festering crisis over trade with Lithuania is helping proponents of the EU’s recently announced anti-coercion instrument make their case in Brussels.
MEPs adopt International Procurement Instrument position
Members of the European Parliament adopted its second report on the EU’s planned International Procurement Instrument by a very solid majority of 590 in favour. The vote gives a mandate to the legislature to begin talks with the Council – i.e. the member states – and the European Commission to …
Blog – Macron’s trade priorities for the 2022 French EU presidency
During the first six months of 2022 the trade policy dimension of France’s rotating presidency of the Council will single-mindedly focus on its climate dimension.
Anti-coercion: New EU ‘language of power’ raises governance questions
The European Commission tabled a long-awaited ‘anti-coercion’ instrument for the Council and European Parliament to assess and adopt. The unprecedented EU move is welcomed in foreign policy expert circles yet raises a range of new questions for the EU’s institutional setup and the global trading system.
EU and Singapore to prepare the ground for digital partnership talks
The EU and Singapore will soon formally start preparing the ground to start negotiations towards a digital partnership agreement. These ‘scoping’ talks will be held within the framework of an already existing two-year-old bilateral free trade agreement and form part of a dedicated working group under the deal’s Joint Committee.
Comment: The new Japan-US-EU ‘trilateral’ underwent a pandemic mutation
The relaunched Japan-US-EU trilateral conversation aimed at developing new rules related to so-called ‘non-market’ behaviour in international markets is shaping up to be very different from the pre-pandemic initiative launched during the Trump administration.
IPI: MEPs take hard line on exceptions, except for poor countries
The trade committee of the European Parliament adopted its new position on the International Procurement Instrument. The piece of legislation is part of EU efforts to foster ‘reciprocity’ in market access for its firms in international public procurement markets. MEPs consider that there shall be no exceptions to excluding or …
