On Thursday (2 May) Germany’s Peter Altmaier, France’s Bruno Le Maire and European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic formally launched the European Battery Alliance in Paris. The plan has been in the works in Brussels for almost two years and is the new face of European industrial policy. The aim …
China
Week in Brussels: EU, China, US and the new world (dis-)order, Rules of Origin
As many people in the policy world are taking time off between Easter and the many holidays coming up in May, it’s been a good week to reflect on the state of the world – and of the trading system. We are likely to face very rocky times indeed. For …
China ready to discuss overhaul of WTO subsidy rules
“Negotiations were difficult but ultimately fruitful”, concluded Donald Tusk after Tuesday’s European Union-China summit in Brussels. The two sides achieved their main objective for their meeting, namely to come up with a joint statement that is meaningful enough to EU capital and commits both sides to specific actions. “In today’s …
Week ahead in EU trade: EU-US, China, Chile, Tunisia, E-commerce
April could see a slowdown in decision-making in trade policy in Brussels. But this does not mean there will be less anxiety over two major files: EU-US trade relations and Brexit. In April we will also see new developments on EU-Chile and EU-Tunisia trade negotiations and on e-commerce. Continued EU-US, …
EU 5G cybersecurity recommendations complicate EU-China investment game
The European Union released new recommendations to member states related to strengthening the security of its 5G networks. But will this complicate the EU’s investment negotiations with China further? A lot of this will be mediated by one factor: the United States. The new EU recommendations are part of a …
Member states agree to relaunch procurement ‘reciprocity’ legislation
Caution. That’s how one could sum up the decisions taken by European Union heads of government today in Brussels on China and on the United States. Council conclusions released this afternoon largely endorse the policy proposals tabled by the European Commission last week to address concerns over reciprocity in market …
EU and China accuse US of throwing spanners in their trade dealings
The United States will be an uninvited guest at a coming EU-China summit in April. The meeting will be held in Brussels and is part of a wider European tour by president Xi Jinping, who will also make stops in Rome, Monaco, Paris and Croatia. China principally plans to expand …
China strategy paper: Commission vows to step up ‘reciprocity’ demands, security measures
Ahead of the European Council next week and an EU-China summit in early April, the European Commission formally tabled a series of actions that make policy vis-à-vis Beijing “more realistic, assertive and multi-faceted”. The new commission communication entitled EU China – A Strategic Outlook says that “there is a growing …
EU China trade dialogue: business wants to move on to next issues
New EU investment screening rules – an explainer
The European Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority today in favour of an EU-wide investment screening mechanism. Here the main points of the new piece of legislation.
