Lauge Poulsen, Assistant Professor in International Political Economy at University College London, tells us what he thinks of the EU’s proposal to establish an international investment court system (ICS) to replace private arbitration to settle disputes between investors and host states. The EU is notably proposing such a system to …
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Comment – France and EU trade policy: no longer the ‘non’ sayer
France is developing a trade policy strategy. It is no longer your good old EU naysayer on trade. By Iana Dreyer.
INTERVIEW: End of US crude oil export ban – consequences for TTIP and the climate
Late 2015, the United States unexpectedly liberalised its exports of crude oil, a move that infuriated climate activists, but pleased Europeans concerned about the continent’s energy security, and raised EU hopes an energy chapter in ongoing TTIP negotiations could become a reality. In an exclusive interview with Borderlex, Carnegie’s David Livingston …
COMMENT: EU trade policy outlook 2016
How could 2016 shape up in EU trade policy? It looks like the year will be less marked by the conclusion of significant trade agreements such as TTIP, but more by the domestic politics of China’s ‘market economy status’ and of trade agreement ratifications such as the Canada EU CETA. A …
Interview: Nairobi shows WTO is still a player in trade negotiations
The last Nairobi WTO ministerial conference in Nairobi did not reaffirm the original mandate of the 2001 Doha Development Agenda, to the disappointment of some WTO members. It has nonetheless delivered significant results, and shown that the WTO is sill a player in global trade negotiations, argues Stuart Harbinson* in a an exclusive interview with Borderlex’s …
COMMENT – After TPP: don’t expect a US ‘pivot’ to TTIP so soon
European hopes that the conclusion of the Transpacific Partnership might lead Washington to dedicate more attention to TTIP will soon be dashed. If Europeans want the United States to give priority to TTIP, Brussels and the member states will need to overcome their self-referential politics on the transatlantic deal and make themselves more attractive as partners. Iana …
COMMENT: All moral now? The EU seal product ban – Updated on 15/09
The European Parliament has enacted legislation to put a 2009 seal product sale ban in compliance with World Trade Organization rules. Those rules in fact force the EU to be even more ‘moral’ than it intended to. In practice, the seal product ban raises new moral questions: but that’s beyond the remit of …
Comment: TTIP after the EU Parliament vote – the most difficult tasks still lie ahead
With Fast-Track and an EU Parliament resolution in their pockets, now is time for trade negotiators in Washington and Brussels to move quickly on TTIP and for the EU to defuse more potential sources of domestic divison, by tackling issues such as whether EU member state parliaments will have to ratify …
Exclusive interview: MEP Viviane Reding on TiSA
This week, the thirteenth round of ‘trade in services agreement’ talks in Geneva will focus on taking stock of three years of negotiations to open up services trade among 25 World Trade Organization members. In an exclusive interview with Iana Dreyer, MEP Viviane Reding shares an EU parliamentarian’s view on …
