The length of the list of United States products the European Commission released on Wednesday (17 April) for governments and businesses to consider as possible targets for retaliatory tariffs appeared surprisingly long to some trade observers. The list was released in response to the WTO’s recent finding that Washington had …
United States
Member states want to be consulted ahead of any EU-US negotiation suspension
The Council’s negotiating directives to the European Commission aim to ease the way towards negotiations with the United States on elimination of tariffs on goods and on conformity assessment. But will they make life easier for transatlantic negotiators? Not really. Member states mainly made amendments to the mandate on elimination …
In brief: EU ambassadors agree to adopt EU US negotiation mandates
It’s not entirely clear France is on board plans to greenlight negotiations on goods trade liberalisation with the United States. But after redrafting the text tabled by the European Commission last January to accommodate the French, capitals are now ready to go ahead with giving the commission the green light …
Blog: Are Airbus-related US tariffs revenge for Boeing or standard operating procedure?
“Maybe it’s just another opportunity for President Trump to impose tariffs”, Chad Bown from the Peterson Institute of Economics tweeted in reference to the US’s decision to table tariffs on billions of Euros’ worth of European products. Robert McDougall, a former Canadian trade diplomat, retorted: “The announcement and eventual imposition …
Comment: We won, both losers said
If it weren’t for the amounts of money involved in the case and in the fifteen-year-old legal saga, one could dismiss the triumphant statements made by the European Union and the United States after yesterday’s Appellate Body ruling as childish boasting. What’s important now for the future viability of the …
Capitals eye April for EU US trade negotiation mandates
“France is testing the patience of others to limits” said a member state official in Brussels today. The statement captures the mood in Council as Paris is seen as the last country dragging its feet in the process of authorising the European Commission to initiate trade negotiations with the United …
Member states agree to relaunch procurement ‘reciprocity’ legislation
Caution. That’s how one could sum up the decisions taken by European Union heads of government today in Brussels on China and on the United States. Council conclusions released this afternoon largely endorse the policy proposals tabled by the European Commission last week to address concerns over reciprocity in market …
EU-US trade relations: The way forward
Although they haven’t even started yet, United States-European Union trade talks already face major obstacles. Moving forward is critical to end the ‘tug of war’ between the US and EU. The best way to get there is to take a multifaceted approach aimed at both the transatlantic market and the …
Week in Brussels: Trump trouble, Korea labour dispute, Turkey, palm oil fight
It’s been an eventful week, with the EU coming up with new initiatives vis-a-vis China, the European Parliament voting down the EU’s United States trade strategy, a beef deal with Washington, and negotiations going on with Indonesia and Mercosur to try and achieve a free trade agreement with them. In …
Flash: MEPs say no to EU-US negotiation mandates
The European Parliament voted on a legally non-binding resolution on the launch of new negotiations with the United States on tariff liberalisation and conformity assessment. MEPs adopted amendments tabled by the groups EFDD, ENF, Greens and S&D calling not to endorse the negotiation mandates. This in turn killed off the …
