[sh_light_text ]Negotiations over the EU Japan free trade deal are set to continue after EU Council members signalled they were ready to compromise with Japan on the most contentious dossier in the politics of the negotiations so far: access to railway markets. [/sh_light_text] By Iana Dreyer
EU FTAs & bilateral ties
EU ban on Crimean goods ahead of free trade accord won’t crimp Ukrainian exports
[sh_light_text ]The European Union’s (EU) Council decision on Monday to exclude the annexed peninsula Crimea from trade benefits granted to Ukraine probably won’t significantly affect the country’s exports to Europe. The greater threat stems from instability in eastern Ukraine, which is part of the country’s industrial heartland. Brussels and Kiev are expected …
EU’s globalised textile industry wary of “labyrinth” of trade rules in bloc’s bilateral free trade deals
Europe’s textile industry gave a luke-warm assessment of the EU’s current trade strategy centered on negotiating preferential bilateral free trade agreements (FTA). At a recent gathering in Brussels, industry representatives welcomed ongoing efforts by the EU to open markets abroad. But the cost of complying with new FTA’s rules is seen as …
Analysis: Doubts, ambivalence and slack – Ukraine’s free trade deal with Brussels
[sh_light_text ]Kiev and Brussels are adamant both parties will soon sign their long-planned Association Agreement. Yet President-elect Petro Poroshenko sowed confusion early last week when he asked for some extra time before putting down his signature. Kiev’s ensuing reassurances hardly mask the fact that questions linger regarding the real benefits …
Blog: Ukraine – EU, waiting for the free trade deal sign-off
This week was marked by contradictory headlines from Ukraine. The newly elected president, Europe-friendly Petro Poroshenko, asked for a delay before signing the long-planned Association Agreement with the EU, which involves a “deep and comprehensive ” free trade deal (DCFTA), and towards which negotiations were finalised in 2012. Other statements from Ukraine followed saying Kyiv was ready …
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) planned as political bloc according to Kazakh official
[sh_light_text ]This Friday, Russia – the European Union (EU)’s third largest trading partner – is due to sign a treaty that creates an Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) with Kazakhstan and Belarus. The treaty will come into effect on January 1, 2015 and builds on the customs union between the three countries, in force since 2010. Now-ousted Ukrainian President Yanukovich’s refusal …
Analysis: Antidumping duties on EU vehicles: competitive pressures in the Russian car market
The EU requested a WTO dispute settlement consultation on Russia’s antidumping duties. The move was announced yesterday. The case reveals several interesting facts about Russia’s economy and car sector. The rising number of dispute settlement cases at the WTO initiated by both the EU and Russia is often perceived as geopolitical. Indeed, the case coincides …
Comment: Canada-EU CETA – what’s left to be done and why it matters
The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) won’t solve Europe’s energy woes nor end Canada’s reliance on the American market. But both sides have plenty to lose if the agreement is left to languish. Very importantly, CETA sets a new bar for managing investor-state relations. If CETA’s extra specification …
News update: Russia tests the waters of WTO dispute settlement with EU complaints
[sh_light_text ]Less than two years after becoming a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Russia has filed two complaints with its dispute settlement body in Geneva that target the European Union, Russia’s main trading partner. These complaints concern antidumping duties and a package of EU laws that govern the …
Analysis: EU-Japan free trade talks after today’s summit
[sh_light_text ]Today’s European Union-Japan summit in Brussels is running smoothly. Negotiations for an EU-Japan free trade agreement will probably continue, as signalled by the President of the EU Commission José Manuel Barroso today. The shrill tones that accompanied the launch of the talks a year ago in Europe have faded …
