A week in Brussels

A week in Brussels Agriculture Customs, RoOs ECJ trade and investment case law UK trade policy

A week in Brussels: Western Sahara fish, agriculture promotion, blockchain

This week was relatively calm in the Brussels policy world. The entire European Commission team flew to Sofia feting Bulgaria as it took over the EU presidency for the next six months, lavishing praise and money on the bloc’s poorest country. Technocrat trade negotiators are far away in Mexico trying to hammer …

A week in Brussels Social & human rights Ukraine, Russia & CIS

A week in Brussels: TDI, Azerbaijan, French torture-goods breach

It’s been a packed week for trade in Brussels as everyone prepares to break for Christmas.   The trade talks with Mexico did not conclude successfully, and the European Commission is still wrangling over data flows in free trade agreements. The commission came up with a tough transition offer for …

A week in Brussels Defensive trade policy EU digital UK trade policy UK-EU negotiations

A week in Brussels: Brexit Phase 2, China subsidies, net neutrality, robust trade

It’s been an intense week again for EU trade. While trade agreements with far away countries like those in the Mercosur bloc have taken a hit, the trade focus is now clearly shifting closer to home, namely to Brexit.   Brexit: Habemus Phase II   It was widely expected. Member …

A week in Brussels Defensive trade policy EU FTAs & bilateral ties Japan Mercosur UK trade policy UK-EU negotiations World Trade Organization

A week in Brussels: Japan, Brexit compromise, WTO, Mercosur

It’s been an eventful week in Brussels.   EU-Japan FTA – on track   The EU and Japan finalised their free trade agreement negotiations this morning. The full text of the deal will be available in a few days.   These FTA negotiations were politically concluded this summer. Negotiators worked …

A week in Brussels Defensive trade policy EU trade policies ISDS MIC ICS Mercosur South Asia & ASEAN Steel Vietnam World Trade Organization WTO dispute settlement

A week in Brussels: Latin America, Vietnam, TDI, MIC

This week’s trade highlights of the week have been: Latin America, the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement, trade defence and the EU’s multilateral investment court plans.   Deal or no deal in Mercosur, that is the question   The EU has been negotiating hard with both Mercosur and Mexico this week …

A week in Brussels EU digital Mercosur Mexico Pakistan Social & human rights South Asia & ASEAN UK trade policy Ukraine, Russia & CIS World Trade Organization

A week in Brussels

Welcome to a new weekly column ‘A week in Brussels’ with the highlights of the trade week in Brussels. I hope you enjoy it!   The trade week in Brussels ends with an understated Eastern Partnership summit. It brings together of a group of disparate countries traumatised by the Ukraine crisis …