News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Saturday, April 26, 2025
This week’s main news was the announcement of new steps to make labour and environment provisions in EU free trade agreement have more bite, and the looming steel wars between Brussels and Washington. There’s been a lot of ASEAN activity going on as well (more soon). Below is what else is good …
European Union trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström is in Singapore to attend a meeting with leaders of the South East Asian bloc ASEAN. The aim is to give new impetus to old plans to launch negotiations towards a region-to-region trade agreement. At the same time, the EU appears to be dragging …
Foreign affairs ministers met today in Sofia to take decisions on a variety of difficult foreign affairs files. The picture isn’t rosy, with Syria, Venezuela or Myanmar on top of leaders’ agenda. The Foreign Affairs Council also devised a few new conclusions on the EU’s climate diplomacy. The use …
EU trade ministers are meeting in Bulgaria. The EU-ASEAN Business Summit and ASEAN Economic Ministers’ meeting will focus on trade and investment ties between the two regions. More details below: Foreign Affairs Council Trade EU trade ministers will have two main issues in mind at a meeting that …
The EU is in the final stages of free trade negotiations with the South American bloc Mercosur. It is readying for the adoption of a new trade agreement with Japan and Vietnam. Anti trade agreement campaign groups have recently stepped up their activities to fight these agreements. A joint …
Some people are getting impatient about the slow pace of ratification of the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement that was inked in 2015. Now, Vietnam and the European Commission are pointing fingers at each other over the delay. The ‘legal scrubbing’ of the trade deal has dragged on for more …
It’s going to be a packed week in Brussels, with everything from continuing trade talks with Mercosur and Indonesia and a new round of Brexit negotiations. And the European Parliament’s trade committee will also have a couple of busy days this week. EU, Indonesia to exchange tariff offers …
With many people out of town skiing it’s been comparatively quiet in Brussels town itself. A lot happened actually outside of Brussels. Trade pros even got time to write #TradeValentines poems. EU and US join Japan in plans to take China to WTO over tech protectionism A new …
The European Economic and Social Council almost unanimously adopted a resolution yesterday calling on the EU to step up its efforts to give greater weight to labour and environment chapters – known as TSD chapters – in its free trade agreements. This move adds to a rising number of calls on …
May, Xi discuss trade barriers UK Prime Minister Theresa May said today that she and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the importance of removing barriers to commerce, especially for British food, drink and financial services, as the two countries move toward a post-Brexit trading relationship. May, speaking at a business summit …
