The deal was clinched in the very last days of the Obama administration. After putting final touches to the text, Washington and Brussels have now initiated a regulatory cooperation agreement on pharmaceutical ‘good manufacturing practices’ inspections. The agreement is ready to come into force in November 2017. Not all …
North America
French constitutional court seized on CETA – to rule within one month
More than one hundred French MPs called on the constitutional court on Wednesday (22 February 2017) in Paris to rule on the compatibility of the EU Canada agreement CETA with France’s constitutional order. The French court has one month to decide on the case. An initial cursory legal analysis of the …
Britain’s awkward embrace of CETA
Eurosceptic MEP David Campbell Bannerman celebrating CETA in the European Parliament 15-16 February 2017 Wariness about its own future in CETA has replaced Theresa May’s government’s initial enthusiastic embrace the EU’s new trade pact with Canada, Iana Dreyer writes. When the European Parliament ratified the EU-Canada trade agreement …
CETA vote divides Dutch, Polish, Belgian mainstream MEPs
Data on the European Parliament’s vote consenting to the Comprehensive Economic and Partnership Agreement with Canada released today reveal emerging new fractures in Europe’s political groups as pro-trade mainstream parties saw a rise in votes against the pact. The vote on CETA held in Strasbourg on Wednesday (15 February 2017) wielded less …
Trans-Atlantic Business Council calls for revival of TTIP after MEP CETA green light
It’s almost impossible to see a negative opinion across Europe’s business community on the European Parliament’s vote in favour of CETA on Wednesday (15 February 2017). Even a big chunk of the free trade agreement-sceptic European farming and food sector is looking forward to trading under the pact’s new rules. United States observers, for …
Last-ditch civil society push ahead of crucial CETA vote in Strasbourg
On Wednesday (15 January 2017), the European Parliament will vote on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement – or CETA. Should MEPs endorse the trade pact with Canada, the bulk of it will come into force provisionally in the spring 2017. The move will have been preceded by heavy campaigning for and against the …
The week in EU trade 13-17 February 2017
The week ahead will likely determine the fate of the EU’s trade policy as the European Parliament votes on Wednesday to adopt or reject the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada, also known as CETA. Crucial CETA vote Observers expect consent from the European Parliament, but the …
Hard campaigning around CETA in EU Parliament as ratification date nears
There is clearly a sense of panic in the EU Parliament over the fate of the controversial EU Canada trade agreement CETA. MEPs are expected to ratify the pact on 15 February 2017, after which the bulk of the deal would come into force ‘provisionally’. Though most observers believe there is and …
Responding to Trump: Top EU think tank suggests EU adopt own border adjustment tax
The EU should respond in kind to US plans to introduce discriminatory tax on corporations, argues a scholar at the highly respected economics think tank Bruegel in Brussels. The US government is introducing widely discussed tax reforms that would involve a discriminatory border tax adjustment, or ‘destination tax’. US tax …
EU and Mexico accelerate pace of free trade talks
It’s Trump time. The EU and Mexico have agreed to accelerate the pace of their ongoing negotiations to liberalise trade. “Together, we are witnessing the worrying rise of protectionism around the world. Side by side, as like-minded partners, we must now stand up for the idea of global, open …
