If you believed the fate of the EU’s biodiesel antidumping duties was sealed after the WTO appellate body’s ruling on a case brought by Argentina and a European Court of Justice ruling annulling these measures in the autumn 2016, stand corrected. The saga goes on. This week, Indonesia filed a complaint in …
South Asia & ASEAN
EU and ASEAN in attempt to relaunch region to region trade deal
The EU and the South East Asian bloc ASEAN have agreed in principle to try to re-launch talks towards a region-to-region trade agreement at a trade ministers’ meeting in Manila on Friday (10 March 2017). “The participants of today’s ministerial meeting will now task their senior officials to work out the …
In brief: Indonesia files appeal against WTO ‘fatty alcohol’ ruling
Jakarta is not happy with a WTO dispute settlement body ruling that largely rebuffed a case it brought against the EU for applying antidumping duties on its exports of ‘fatty alcohols’. Today, it officially lodged an appeal in the WTO. In a panel report issued on 16 December 2016 the dispute settlement …
Indonesia FTA papers: Intellectual property and raw materials among top EU priorities
The EU Commission has released nine revealing negotiating texts it tabled to Indonesian trade authorities during the second round of free trade talks held in Jakarta in late January. The report on the round published by the Commission hailed the talks as “constructive” and explained that the EU set …
Advocate General says BITs with Singapore can only be terminated by member states
The EU Singapore FTA is the first practical test case for the termination of bilateral investment treaties signed by the European countries before 2009 – the year of entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. Twelve member states have BITs in place with Singapore. These treaties cover investment protection and investor-state dispute settlement. …
EU Singapore FTA is a mixed agreement, says ECJ Advocate General
In an opinion issued ahead of an expected Court of Justice ruling regarding the competences accruing to the EU and the member states respectively as to the EU Singapore free trade agreement, a pact concluded in 2013, the Advocate General has confirmed that the deal covers issues that are both …
COM review of antidumping duties on Argentina and Indonesia biodiesel part of broader web of legal disputes
The Commission announced it was undertaking a review of its antidumping measures applied to biodiesel imported from Indonesia and Argentina which have been in force since 2013. The move is only part of a wider web of legal disputes regarding these measures. The announcement states that the EU aims to comply with …
GSP Plus – Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka under EU scrutiny
The EU will examine three countries under its GSP Plus scheme in early December: the Philippines, Pakisan and Sri Lanka. The Philippines have come into the crosshairs of those concerned about recently elected president Duterte’s human rights track record. Duterte’s ordering of extra-judicial killings in a bloody crack-down on drugs-related crime has raised …
Belgium to request opinion on ICS from ECJ after Singapore ruling
The Belgians are fighting internal tussles over how to follow up on the internal compromise achieved between the federal government, the Flemish regional bodies and the Wallonians ahead of the signature of the EU Canada trade pact CETA early November this year. Charles Michel has tabled a motion in …
Vietnam Ambassador heard by Wallonian parliament
The parliament of Wallonia is hearing the views of Vietnam’s Ambassador to the EU today (1 December 2016). After having been in the limelight as the regional Belgian parliament that almost scuppered the EU Canada CETA deal late October, the Namur-based legislature has stepped up its scrutiny of all free trade …
