News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Monday, April 28, 2025
President Donald Trump said he pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership because it was a “horrible deal” that stole American jobs while benefiting big corporations. But Washington’s new agreement with Mexico and Canada, the USMCA, has incorporated many elements from TPP (reborn as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement …
Insiders don’t believe the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement signed this summer faces a serious risk of being voted down in the European Parliament at the end of the year. But as the assembly enters its last months of functioning, a vocal group of left-of-centre MEPs is making a last big …
New Zealand FTA round 2 This week the EU and New Zealand are holding their second round of free trade agreement negotiations Down Under. The talks were kick-started in July and appear to be on a fast lane as the parties aim to work on text-based negotiations pretty swiftly. Please …
This week has been heavy on World Trade Organization issues (EU’s WTO reform pitch, services domestic regulation talks, US engagement with WTO reforms), the fallout from the new NAFTA,with bits on what’s happening (not) on Britain’s fabulous post- Brexit trade deals. Member states met in Innsbruck today – and there …
Below some highlights of this week’s trade committee meeting in Brussels, and a little update on the EU-Australia FTA talks. In case you missed them, check out our other articles this week on no-deal Brexit here and here, the EU’s food export bonanza, trilateral EU-Japan-US discussions on China and WTO, CETA, and the …
Donald Trump signed his first major trade deal on Monday, an update to the US pact with Korea that the president called a “very big deal” that is “very, very good for American farmers”. More sober assessments are that the revisions to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement are modest and …
A trilateral meeting among the trade chiefs of the United States, Japan and the EU held in New York committed the three World Trade Organization members to launch common initiatives to overhaul the Geneva-based institution. This trilateral format of meetings started with the aim to address common concerns on – …
Any mention of the World Trade Organization these days usually includes the words “reform” or “Appellate Body”. While efforts to limit harmful fisheries subsidies aren’t making many big headlines right now, the good news is that they actually seem to be making some progress. That’s not to say a deal …
There’s been a little bit of noise this week on EU trade files in relation to Asia. So here a short update.
The EU and China know they must work together to show leadership in matters of global trade and investment. But realising effective cooperation with trade partners to make the system more robust and to withstand the “disruptive bilateralism originating from Washington” is easier said than done, argues Jacques Pelkmans.
