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.
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Altmeier manages expectations for remaining 2020 EU trade agenda
“A presidency is not a government,” quipped the German economy minister in an exchange of views with members of the European Parliament’s international trade committee on Thursday (3 September). Peter Altmeier, who further oversees Germany’s industrial and energy policy, also pointed out that rotating Council presidencies taking place in the …
Week Ahead: WTO without a DG, INTA committee
Today is Roberto Azevêdo’s last day in office as the director-general of the WTO. The Brazilian diplomat is leaving a tattered organisation rudderless as the two sparring big powers – US and EU – couldn’t agree last July on an interim leader chosen among the current four deputy-directors. The Four …
August wrap-up and week ahead: EU, WTO, UK
It’s the rentrée for Borderlex and for many other professionals in the trade policy world. Below, a short August wrap-up and week preview for trade policy in Europe and WTO. Cyrpus parliament rejects CETA: The parliament in Cyprus was the first country in the EU to refuse to ratify the …
Week wrap-up + August preview: WTO, UK-Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, ASEAN, Airbus tariffs
This has been very intense last week of July on WTO issues – be it agriculture, or the quest for a new leadership in the organisation. On Friday, WTO members agreed to follow General Council head David Walker’s recommendations on how the new WTO director-general will be selected after 7 …
Week Ahead: transatlantic; WTO disputes and e-commerce; UK and US, Japan
While Brussels quiets down somewhat on the trade front, the WTO in Geneva will see a spurt of activity before it shuts down for a few weeks in August. No holiday break for London as it continues on its winding path to a post-Brexit FTA network. In Brussels we will …
WTO director-general candidate Amina Mohamed: I have a record and it’s good
Borderlex’s Iana Dreyer spoke to one of the leading candidates in the current race to succeed Roberto Azevêdo at the helm of the World Trade Organization. Amina Mohamed is former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya. She also served as ambassador to the WTO. Among others she acted as …
Week in Brussels: Airbus subsidies, TDI, corporate responsibility, Moldova, Corona
In many ways this has been a week full of trade defence news: the first European Court of Auditors report on EU trade defence policy was released this week, and Turkey decided to go to court in Geneva over the EU’s steel safeguard. There is also the ever-simmering tariff guerilla …
Week Ahead: US, China, UK, trilogues
The policy churn is expected to quiet down somewhat this week as we enter the third week of July with further risks of a spike of new COVID-19 cases: retreat to home and taking the opportunity to holiday is the new game in town – while we wait for a …
Week in Brussels: trade dive, DG Trade reorganisation, Belgium, Irish protocol
This has been a heavy-duty week in EU trade, with the transatlantic relationship thrown in disarray by the new Court of Justice of the EU’s ruling on the EU-US Privacy Shield. Also the EU and India genuinely want to move on and established a High Level Dialogue. The European Commission …
