News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
European institutions hope they can soon finalise long drawn-out negotiations to expand the scope of the European Union’s 2009 dual-use item export control regulation to cover cyber-surveillance and human rights abuses. The latest version of the regulation foresees room to introduce restrictions on exports in emerging technologies.
Protecting the steel industry, what to do with the EU Mercosur trade pact and finding common ground in the WTO director-general selection process were among the main topics discussed by trade ministers in Berlin today at an informal meeting hosted by the German presidency of the Council.
Geographical considerations trump trade diplomacy experience in choice of shortlist for DG post
With input from Sarah Anne Aarup. This week we saw an EU-China summit deliver some progress on the lengthy path towards a bilateral investment agreement. It also revealed that rules-based international trade is Chefsache in the Commission, with president von der Leyen dwelling extensively on the matter in her State …
The World Trade Organization is yet to announce the result of a first round of ‘confessionals’ as part of an iterative elimination process aimed at nailing down one final winner. But the name of the three candidates who are to formally drop out of the race early to become the …
Welcome back to our WTO Corner column for regular updates on trade diplomacy in Geneva. Panel gives China a full win in Section 301 tariff case The majority of WTO law experts would have said this case was a no-brainer. The panellists appointed to judge on the matter thought so …
If one is to believe Charles Michel, Angela Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen, today’s online Leaders’ Meeting with China’s president Xi Jinping was productive.
There is a small hiatus in EU trade policy as the European Commission awaits final confirmation of Valdis Dombrovskis as the next commissioner in charge of trade policy. But the Latvian top commission executive has played his care-taker role in full since late August and taken charge of the EU’s …
After an extended summer break, our Week in Brussels column is back in action to wrap up busy weeks in European Union trade. This week : EU-UK, Angola joining the EU SADC EPA and the good COVID-19 crisis for some EU agrifood exports.
A report by the China Chamber of Commerce to the European Union reveals a few key Beijing ‘asks’ in current negotiations as EU China meetings and negotiations are set to intensify this autumn.
