Legal considerations will likely come second only in determining whether Brussels will grant China the market economy status it feels entitled to obtain in its trade relations with the European Union. By Iana Dreyer.
EU FTAs & bilateral ties
Of paper and fertilisers: moving from politics to law in EU Russia trade disputes
A fourth dispute settlement panel within less than two years to rule on a case between the EU and Russia will soon be established at the World Trade Organization. Is the rising number of trade cases brought by Brussels against Moscow in Geneva the continuation of trade war by other means in a bilateral relationship …
Blog: 6 take-aways from EU minister’s meeting on trade #Doha #TTIP #Vietnam #Japan #CETA #Russia
In Brief: WTO dispute settlement panel to be established in EU-Pakistan plastics case
A simmering dispute between the EU and Pakistan over Brussels’ countervailing duties on imports of polyethilene plastics from the South Asian nation will now be adjudicated in a formal WTO dispute settlement panel. China and the US are third parties in the case. Ravi Kanth in Geneva.
Opinion: The geostrategic importance of the EU-Mercosur negotiations
Seal the long-stalled EU Mercosur trade deal or accept Brazil’s and South America’s turn to China and away from a liberal world order, argues Mikael Wigell from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Expert interview : Lifting trade preferences for Bosnia & Herzegovina is counterproductive
In an interview with Iana Dreyer, Bodo Weber, a seasoned Balkans expert at the Berlin-based Democratisation Policy Council, explained why the EU’s move to lift trade preferences granted to Bosnia and Herzegovina collides with Brussels’ recent drive to revive accession talks with Sarajevo. A longer, more detailed, version of the article …
Blog: Malmström meets Russian economy minister Ulyukaev
In brief: EU requests panel on Russian import duties in WTO
The EU requested today the establishment of a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva concerning Russia’s import duties on a variety of industrial products, notably paper products, refrigerators and palm oil. Brussels has launched consultations in Geneva on the matter last autumn.
EU Vietnam FTA: rice carve-outs and ‘double transformation’ rule of origin in sight
Ongoing European Union (EU)-Vietnam free trade negotiations are reaching a critical point. Although negotiations have advanced well so far, the most difficult part of the talks still lies ahead of Brussels and Hanoi, a hearing at the EU parliament revealed. Some idea of the likely carve-outs from trade liberalisation in this politically sensitive deal for …
EU-Turkey customs union upgrade faces uncertain outlook
A budding process aimed at moving the EU-Turkey economic partnership forward and modernise their 20-year-old customs union – a need highlighted by the launch of TTIP – is off to a difficult start. The EU faces domestic obstacles on moving ahead with the Turkey file, and Ankara is spending more political capital …
