The EU and Japan held a bilateral virtual ‘leadership meeting’ today, in which the two parties reiterated their commitment to working together at the international level. The meeting was held in advance of a coming G7 meeting in the United States. The joint statement released after the meeting brings little …
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EU PPE export restrictions come to an end
The European Commission confirmed that it was allowing the temporary export licensing regime for personal protective equipment to lapse. The measure expired yesterday. It was introduced mid March 2020 in response to member states’ unilateral decisions to stop exports of masks, googles, gloves and protective wear including within the EU’s …
Week Ahead: EU UK, enforcement regulation, Chile, China
We are looking to a very packed agenda in EU trade this week. First and foremost, today is the day when the EU’s 30–day export restrictions regime for personal protective equipment expiresMonday 25 May. There is little sign yet of an extension – but the day has barely begun. Future …
Week in Brussels: Turkey pharma case, Africa, Biodiversity
Turkey pharma case in WTO The European Commission published this week its first legal submission in a dispute it filed against Turkey last year at the World Trade Organization concerning the EU’s neighbour’s restrictive policies in the area of pharmaceuticals. The case ‘Certain Measures concerning the Production, Importation and Marketing …
In brief: UK to seek duty free quota free trading relationship with Turkey
Turkey is one of a few elephants in the room nobody dares mentioning when it comes to the UK’s trading relationships post Brexit. On leaving the EU’s customs union at the end of this year, Britain will also leave the EU’s customs union with Turkey, a major emerging market at …
Blog – World trade: fasten your seatbelts
We had the trade wars. Now we have COVID-19. The collapse in cross-border trade is now firmly with us. The situation provides macabre joy to the non-humanist corners of Europe’s environmentalist and globalist movements. It certainly won’t be joyful to those who already see what negative economic growth and disrupted …
France, Germany on medical supply chains, Schengen, WTO health initiative
Today’s mainstream media will mainly focus on the budgetary dimension of a political agreement reached between Germany and France today on policies to help the European Union’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Lange: check IP rules in EU FTAs to fight COVID-19 pandemic
The chair of the European Parliament’s international trade committee is asking the European Union to look into some intellectual property rules in its trade policies and agreements with the view of making any future COVID-19 vaccine accessible to the largest numbers in the shortest possible period of time. In a …
García-Bercero: Africa critical to successful WTO overhaul
“It is important not to be purely obsessed with China as being the only factor that plays a role in World Trade Organization reform,” said Ignacio García-Bercero at a recent event in London. The European Commission’s former man in charge of handling EU-US trade relations is tabling some new ideas …
Week in Brussels: Hogan on Azevêdo, G20, Turkish steel, Com sues Finland and UK on BITs
It’s been quite a week, with the World Trade Organization’s chief resigning on Thursday, adding another twist to the ongoing drama in the world trading system. But other news have been drowned in the process. A selection below. Hogan wants to move fast to replace WTO’s Azevêdo The European Union’s …