News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Friday, April 25, 2025
Here a short midweek update on a variety of EU trade policy files: EU Mercosur Chief negotiators will meet on Friday in Brussels to translate technically the political signals exchanged during the meeting of Mercosur ministers hosted by the European Commission yesterday to help overcome what most observers …
In Brussels, there is a lot of movement behind the scenes to try and finalise trade agreements with Mexico, Mercosur and Japan. Investment screening is climbing the policy priority list. The EU lost a case in the World Trade Organization against Indonesia over dumping duties it applies against palm …
Negotiations to modernise the almost 20-year-old trade agreement between the EU and Mexico have intensified despite a missed December 2017 deadline set by EU negotiators to announce a political deal. Here’s the state of play. Mexico and the EU are clearly committed to clinching an agreement. Progress and goodwill …
The new year begins rather slowly, but with optimism that the EU and Mexico will soon manage to clinch their updated trade deal. The eighth round of talks will be held this week in Mexico after the two sides failed to secure the modernised accord before Christmas. Following the …
There will be no modernised trade deal with Mexico for Christmas. Despite having personally spent three days in Brussels, economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo hasnt managed to break the deadlock over some of the most contentious outstanding issues in the negotiations, namely geographical indications and investment protection. The modernisation of …
The clock is ticking as the EU and Mexico work to secure a framework to upgrade their 17-year-old trade agreement by the end of the month. The two sides made progress on issues including market access and intellectual property during their sixth round of discussions in November, and negotiators held …
This is a big week for EU trade negotiators, who will be putting their collective noses to the grindstone as they work toward a year-end goal to clinch agreements with Mexico and Mercosur. Momentum is building for the parties to be able to announce at the World Trade Organization’s December …
Welcome to a new weekly column ‘A week in Brussels’ with the highlights of the trade week in Brussels. I hope you enjoy it! The trade week in Brussels ends with an understated Eastern Partnership summit. It brings together of a group of disparate countries traumatised by the Ukraine crisis …
The EU and Mexico are holding technical talks this week ahead of a formal new round of negotiations later this month. The pressure is on both sides to conclude talks to modernise their 2000 trade agreement – which is folded into what is known as the Global Agreement. Significant challenges …
EU and Mexican trade negotiators are holding technical meetings in Brussels this week with the aim of making progress on updating their Global Agreement of 2001. EU sources report progress in the negotiations. But there are significant challenges ahead in achieving agreement on sensitive topics in the time frame …
