News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Monday, April 28, 2025
There have been media reports that EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström, speaking at Davos today, appeared to be confident that the United States would not slap tariffs on imports of European autos on national security grounds. The US is preparing a report on the national security implications of car imports …
The European Commission’s director-general for trade thinks a partial deal on auto tariffs is feasible with the United States. Jean-Luc Demarty does not expect any tariff liberalisation accord with the US to be finalised before this year’s European elections. The EU and the US are expected to launch trade negotiations …
The European Commission tabled draft mandates to member states today to allow it to start trade negotiations with the United States. The move comes following the trade truce between the White House and the commission reached last July and following a meeting between trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström and US Trade Representative …
The United States Trade Representative’ s trade negotiating objectives with the European Union indicate bilateral talks ahead between Washington and Brussels will be difficult, if not outright impossible, to conclude.
Venezuela struck back this week against US sanctions targeting the government of President Nicolás Maduro, filing a World Trade Organization complaint that accuses Washington of imposing “coercive trade-restrictive measures on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the context of attempts to isolate Venezuela economically”. The dispute is the latest touching …
This week has mainly been about everyone getting back to work. The EU’s top priority is the transatlantic relationship. Trade chief Cecilia Malmström, visiting Washington in the early days of January, signals just that. But were there actually any new developments this week on the planned trade deals? Not really, as …
Despite their prime importance for Europe, Britain and the United States, there’s been little deep thinking about the future of transatlantic relations post-Brexit, both at the geostrategic level and at the more mundane economic level. But that is bound to change. In Britain, the focus after the 2016 referendum has mainly …
The European Commission is expected to table two negotiation mandate proposals for EU member states to greenlight in the coming weeks following a bilateral meeting between trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström and her counterpart Robert Lighthizer in Washington. The bilateral gathering was a follow-up to a summit between US President Donald …
The US and a dozen other World Trade Organization members have finally agreed about something concerning the Appellate Body: the WTO’s highest court has no authority to issue rulings that set a binding precedent. This issue is a non-issue in the eyes of WTO members including the EU, Canada, Japan …
The European Commission is stepping up pressure on the Trump administration to fully comply with the 2016 Privacy Shield, a framework agreement that allows certified US companies to transfer personal data from EU-based citizens to the United States. The move follows on an annual review process held this autumn (see …
