It’s been a relatively quiet week on the trade front in the EU given a Thursday bank holiday in many European countries and the European Commission declaring today (Friday 14 May) a holiday for its staff. Nonetheless, below some notable developments in EU trade policy.
A week in Brussels
Week in Brussels: Mercosur time horizon, Korea, India
A week with meaningful developments on transatlantic, digital and – not least – the EU-UK front. Here other updates… Dombrovskis eyes 2022 for ratification of EU Mercosur trade pact Speaking at an event hosted by the Portuguese presidency of the European Council in cooperation with BusinessEurope and its Brazilian counterpart …
Week in Brussels : Chile, New Zealand, ESA
EU Chile aim hope to conclude FTA upgrade – but when? The EU and Chile have been negotiating intensely this week to bring negotiations on the modernisation of their free trade agreement to a conclusion in the coming months.
Week in Brussels: IPI, China, French Senators on CETA, DG Trade musical chairs
This has been an intense week in European Union trade policy, with the continuous transatlantic file rolling on, a lot of action in Geneva, the EU and the ACP group finally concluding their post-Cotonou agreement and the European Parliament active on a variety of trade files. MEPs voted to resume …
Week in Brussels: Uzbekistan, palm oil
It’s been a slow start after Easter, but the trade policy machinery in Brussels is gradually getting back into gear. Turkey Only a few weeks into calmer waters a new storm broke out in the EU-Turkey relationship. While the news is about about protocol matters and Sofa Gate, one of …
Week in Brussels: Irking like-minded partners on vaccines exports, EU Mercosur stasis, CETA
As everyone in Europe prepares for a second semi-locked down COVID-19 Easter, one must say it hasn’t been the most glorious of trade weeks for the European Union – except for a specific CETA performance.
Week in Brussels: Biden effect on Northern Ireland, CETA, Netherlands and friends
It’s been one of those mega-weeks in trade again, culminating perhaps with Joe Biden beaming into the European Council last night to say hello. Nothing concrete came out of this meeting. Official statements indicate this was mostly about bonding and setting lofty common goals such as working together on COVID-19 …
Week in Brussels: Vaccines, China, CAI, Taiwan, Energy Charter Treaty
As widely anticipated, the European Union extended on Thursday its export authorisation scheme for COVID-19 vaccines produced by firms with a procurement contract from the EU until the end of June 2021. The move comes amidst controversies over who among the continental EU and the ‘Anglos’ are greater vaccine nationalists. …
Week in Brussels : MEP UK TCA walkout threat, Vaccine uproar, CETA in Ireland & France
Drift. That’s the best way to describe the week in European Union trade policy. European Parliament threatens EU UK TCA walkout A perpetual crisis over border checks in Northern Ireland is now a possibility, with this week’s UK decision to unilaterally extend a grace period for intra-UK border checks until …
Week in Brussels: Potential EU-US supply chain collaboration, Korea ILO, Mexico Global Agreement
Dombrovskis sees potential in EU-US supply chain resilience collaboration President Biden this week made headlines by announcing a review of the United States’ supply chains. Strategic dependencies on – namely but not only – China and other supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have had the US government focus …