News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Saturday, April 26, 2025
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 …
There’s been a little bit of noise this week on EU trade files in relation to Asia. So here a short update.
This week was largely dominated by the European Parliament’s work on trade, the transatlantic trade rift and the deepening crisis of the WTO’s Appellate Body. This is what we wrote about this week: The WTO Appellate Body crisis here and here Southern Africa and UK trade post Brexit State of …
The European Commission is expected to table its first text on data flows in a bilateral free trade negotiation on Friday. The commission will submit a text to the Indonesian government as part of ongoing trade talks. The move comes even though most EU member states are unhappy with the …
The next two weeks are notable for all the rounds of trade negotiations: the EU will hold talks with China and Indonesia this week and then with Mercosur and New Zealand next week. In between, EU and Japanese officials will sign their economic partnership and strategic partnership agreements. But perhaps …
It’s been an eventful week in Brussels, culminating with the ongoing European Council – which we will cover separately. The fear of US tariffs on autos, that the multilateral trading system will unravel and China, and frustrations at the slow pace of Brexit negotiations (here and here) have all dominated …
After the European Commission and member states agreed this spring to accelerate the pace of internal procedures to get the EU-Japan and EU-Singapore free trade agreements ratified, the Vietnam pact concluded in 2015 was largely seen as set aside. But there’s movement to try to approve the deal before European …
If the EU wants to avoid losing a potential World Trade Organization dispute following its decision to phase out palm and soybean oil-based biofuels, it will need to prove its environmenal criteria are objective. For political reasons, that will be difficult, as this might involve displeasing EU rapeseed and sunflower …
The main obsession in Brussels this week has been the EU-US trade spat. All eyes will be on the Group of Seven meeting in Canada. Mercosur and EU negotiators have been working until the time of writing on narrowing gaps on ‘geographical indications’ protection and Mercosur’s offer on autos (rules of origin …
A lot can happen in just a week – and when it comes to trade, most of what’s happening these days involves the US. This week was no exception, as India complained about American duties on steel and aluminium, and the Trump administration initiated a national security probe into automobile …
