Asia
In brief: Sri Lanka to seek lifting of suspension of EU trade preferences
Bloomberg reports that Sri Lanka will request the lifting of a 2010 suspension of European trade preferences.
OUTLOOK: Autumn 2015 EU trade policy agenda
Welcome back to work, trade folks! Iana Dreyer outlines what’s on the long to-do list of the European Union’s trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in Brussels.
EU and Vietnam seal bilateral free trade talks
(Updated on 04 Aug 2015 at 19.15) The EU and Vietnam have sealed a far-reaching bilateral free trade agreement that involves substantial reforms for Vietnam to implement but falls short of fully liberalising EU imports of Vietnamese agricultural products and imposes strict fabric sourcing rules for its textiles exporters. ID
EU – Japan: negotiating free trade in the shadow of TTIP and TPP
EU – Japan free trade negotiations have been slowed down by Japan’s current focus on concluding the Transpacific Partnership. Yet they could be upgraded to include regulatory convergence similar to that pursued in TTIP, writes David Kleimann.
Flash – Reports: EU India FTA talks to resume this summer
There are reports that the EU and India will resume long-stalled trade talks this summer. India’s looming loss of unilateral trade EU preferences for its garment and leather exports and a change in personnel in the Indian government appear to play a role in unblocking the talks. Read more on LiveMint.
EU China summit & trade: small steps on intellectual property and customs clearance
There is not much progress to report on major bilateral trade policy files at the EU China summit held yesterday in Brussels. But small steps were taken on upgrading an intellectual property dialogue and to pave the way for a deal on accelerated customs clearance. By Iana Dreyer.
Blog: Trade and investment data #China #EU #Russia #India #FDI
A slew of new data was released by the WTO, UNCTAD and Eurostat that should catch the attention of anyone interested in trade, investment and Europe.
Updated 26/06 In brief: EU Vietnam FTA – chief negotiators to meet week 29 June
Comment: EU Japan – two reasons why it’s so difficult
Whether the EU Japan summit on 28 and 29 May will genuinely boost to faltering free trade talks remains uncertain, as the transpacific partnership trade negotiations with Washington Tokyo is involved in will take precedence. By Iana Dreyer.
