G7 nations are meeting in Taormina, Sicily, amidst high political tensions between the US and European countries, in particular Germany. Common ground on trade will be difficult to find. The EU and Japan are trying to advance their own free trade agenda in parallel. The trade tensions with the US are likely to …
North America
In brief: New EU US trade task force announced
US president Donald Trump met various EU leaders on Thursday (25 May 2017). A few brief take-aways from the meetings, with a focus on trade: The first aim was primarily for leaders of EU institutions and Donald Trump to meet and know each other and establish a working …
Updates: Barnier in Ireland, Lightizer, TDI, CETA
The last days have been filled with bits and bobs of information on EU trade worth sharing:
Malmström: “clarity” on TTIP ambitions needed
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that although “there is still a case for an ambitious trade agreement between the EU and the US”, there is a “need to clarify that both sides share an ambition to find solutions to difficult issues”. The EU’s trade chief spoke in Washington …
Surprise as US mulls reviving TTIP negotiations
US interest in reviving TTIP negotiations has met with both relief and scepticism. Few, however, believe Cecilia Malmström, the EU’s trade chief, will come back from a trip to Washington this week with any important announcements on the future of the flagship transatlantic trade pact. “The press reports about a …
Protectionism: who is talking “rubbish”?
US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross recently rejected claims the United States was becoming more protectionist as “rubbish”. He also said of his country: “We are the least protectionist of the major [economic] areas”. The US government is currently reviewing some trading partners’ trade practices. It wishes to launch bilateral trade …
EU ‘trade barriers’: USTR report features beef, GIs, and pesticide regulations
The freshly released 2017 edition of the United States Trade Representative’s annual National Trade Estimate report comes at an interesting time, as it indicates where the Donald Trump administration’s trade priorities with its partners are most likely to lie in the months and years ahead. The EU chapter dwells …
In brief: French constitutional court postpones CETA decision
France’s constitutional council has decided to postpone its decision on the compatibility of the EU Canadian trade pact CETA with the French constitution. France’s court was seized one month ago by more than 100 French MPs, with the legal support of three NGOs: Foodwatch Europe, the Institut Veblen and the …
Opinion: The pitfalls of pushing for TTIP in 2017
Iana Dreyer on why pursuing TTIP this year is not in the EU’s best interest.
Blog: France, Ireland and Italy feature alongside Germany in Navarro trade deficit discourse
The mainstream media have mostly picked upon Peter Navarro’s comments on Germany’s trade surplus with the United States during his speech at the National Association of Business Economics on Monday (6 March 2017). But other European countries should pay closer attention to what he says too. The White House …
