News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
This has been another big week in EU trade. Member states managed to cobble together a joint approach to US President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariff threat. The EU lost two World Trade Organization cases – the big-ticket Airbus case and the more symbolic Pakistan plastic pellets case …
Japan may follow China by striking back against US steel and aluminium tariffs to the tune of $409 million, signalling that Tokyo is tired of trying to win an exemption from the levies through diplomacy. But the fact that Japan is weighing retaliation doesn’t mean it will actually act on …
The EU has offered to negotiate a trade agreement with the US in return for a permanent exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs. But chances of success are limited. What is more, the EU-US row over the tariffs is becoming the lesser problem in the wider transatlantic relationship, writes Iana …
There have been a few developments and clarifications on the variety of bilateral free trade agreements under way in the EU in recent days. So here are some updates on where things stand with Mexico, Singapore, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. EU-Mexico ‘agreement in principle’ – next steps …
The EU has failed to scrap all illegal subsidies for aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body ruled today, meaning the US has grounds to strike back at European exports. But before that happens, the EU intends to take “swift action to ensure it is fully in line with …
Two events will happen in Brussels this week that merit close attention: the European Parliament’s international trade committee will discuss a range of headline-worthy issues during its two-day meeting and the Working Party on Trade Questions will discuss investment screening. The churn on Article 50 negotiations between the EU27 and …
The World Trade Organization’s General Council meeting on Wednesday highlighted the deepening rift between the US and other members over steel, intellectual property and Appellate Body nominations. There seems to be no way out of the crisis for now.
The World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body will decide within a week whether the EU has complied with a ruling that faulted the bloc for giving illegal subsidies to Airbus. If appeals judges agree with the US that the handouts haven’t been removed, Washington will be able to retaliate on European …
China may use subsidies to prop up a range of domestic industries, but oversupply in these sectors has little impact on global trade, a Swiss-based trade watchdog says in a new report on the current steel glut and protectionism.
Import quotas on sensitive agricultural products opened in the EU’s latest FTAs appear to be of little use to both exporters and importers. The last round of EU-Mercosur trade negotiations held last week ended in acrimony. Both EU agriculture market access – aka quotas on beef, sugar and ethanol …
