News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
A lot is up in the air. With next June’s twelfth World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Kazakhstan postponed and most meetings largely called off due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, there is now much less pressure on trade negotiators to meet a big deadline and secure deals. So, what’s …
The European Commission officially announced this afternoon that it allowed member states to waive import duties and VAT on imports of medical goods that would be used for relief purposes in their efforts to fight the COVID 19 pandemic. Member states have started moving ahead with waivers this week after …
The European Parliament’s international trade committee has urged the European Commission to exempt the Western Balkans from a new regime of export restrictions on medical protective gear and to ensure the measure genuinely remains temporary. The letter comes as the EU prepares follow-up steps on a decision mid-March to temporarily …
Council members agreed to temporarily bury the hatchet on a regulatory proposal tabled by the European Commission that aims to empower it to take ‘retaliatory’ trade measures should a World Trade Organization counterpart block litigation proceedings. The EU is bent on making sure it can continue to use a two-tier …
It’s that time of the year. The publication of the National Trade Estimate report by the US Trade Representative is a yearly ritual and must-read by any trade policy wonk in the world. Even non-US diplomats and policy makers sneakily look up the monumental 500-page annual document that lists all …
EU member states are now allowed to suspend the payment of import duties on imports of vital medical supplies. The move is expected to be formalised later this week, European Commission sources said. Consultations with businesses and government are ongoing in an attempt to secure vital supplies amidst an almost …
Today EU member states gave their final assent to the EU Vietnam free trade agreement – the move was delayed by a few weeks due to the disturbances in the EU meeting calendar brought by the COVID-19 situation. The flagship trade pact with the South East Asian emerging market is …
Should the COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe last – it looks like the crisis isn’t yet over – we might see a gradual fading of the chaos that has been witnessed at borders within the single market and with non-EU countries following abrupt closures in recent weeks aimed at stemming the …
This week was ‘virtual summit’ week, with a focus on the global coronavirus pandemic and its dramatic economic fallout. G20 leaders gathered virtually on Thursday and European Union heads of government had very long meeting online last night that almost failed. But capitals still managed a joint statement. There were …
The European Commission is encouraging member states to actively protect critical medical and healthcare assets. In ‘guidelines’ released on Wednesday night, the EU executive body is seeking to fast-forward the implementation of a regulation on the screening of foreign direct investments that is only due to come into force in …
