News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
WTO director-general candidates This week in Geneva auditions will be held from Wednesday to Friday. The eight candidates to the position of World Trade Organization director-general will make their case in front of the assembled country ambassadors to the organisation. These meetings kick-off a vetting process whereby candidates will gradually …
Carbon border adjustment – Lange prefers ETS extension The German chemical industry association VCI held a webinar this week on trade policy and climate change. International trade committee chair Bernd Lange was a speaker. Whether this is an indication of what is to come as the EU prepares to prepare …
In a conversation with Borderlex’s Iana Dreyer, MEP Marie-Pierre Vedrenne explains her thinking behind her widely-endorsed report that could turn the EU’s trade retaliatory ‘bazooka’ into something even bigger.
It’s been one of those relatively low-key weeks on trade in Brussels – which only prepare the ground for more intense meetings and developments later on. Hogan back in action To start with: Phil Hogan is back! After a ‘purdah’ period imposed on him by his bosses while he was …
Germany takes over rotating EU presidency On Wednesday, Germany is taking over the presidency of the European Union for a period of six months. Its full six-month programme for the period starting in July 2021 will be released on Tuesday. But an 18-month ‘trio’ programme put together with Portugal and …
With new fire added to the brewing tensions in EU-US trade relations as new tariffs on the EU were announced in Washington, the EU mulling new retaliatory measures against US trade ‘coercion”, and Brussels infighting over the issue of who – if at all – it will put forward as …
EU China Summit This week will start big, with an EU-China summit kicking off this morning. The meeting will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping himself, the Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen and the Council’s boss Charles Michel to take stock of an increasingly complex and controversial relationship …
In an interview with Borderlex, the Energy Charter Treaty’s secretary-general Urban Rusnák said: “In one or two years I expect to have a new Energy Charter Treaty as complement to the Paris climate agreement.“
Australia’s plain packaging rules okayed by Appellate Body A brief note on the fact that the Appellate Body, as expected, upheld a panel ruling that confirmed Australia’s right to impose plain packaging – i.e. remove branding – on cigarette packs. This week’s ruling will have systemic implications also for food …
This week, the trade policy world will be looking a lot to Geneva. WTO Director General vetting process begins Today begins a one-month period during which World Trade Organization members will file nominations for candidates for the position of director-general, which Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevêdo quit one year before the …
