EU FTAs & bilateral ties

Cambodia GSP, GSP Plus, EBA Latest news

Cambodian government defiant in face of partial EU duty free right suspension

The European Commission released a widely anticipated ‘delegated act’ in which, for the first time in the scheme’s almost fifteen-year history, suspends free trade rights for one of the poorest countries in the world. About 20% of Cambodian exports to the EU are covered by the planned preference withdrawal measures. …

Latest news Public procurement United States WTO crisis and reform

An EU dimension in rumoured US government procurement withdrawal plans?

Trade sniping out of Washington just doesn’t seem to be ending. Bloomberg reported yesterday that the White House was mulling pulling out of the Government Procurement Agreement, a preferential accord among a subset of mostly rich-country members of the World Trade Organization. China and Russia are in the process of …

Agriculture Japan LatAm & Caribbean Latest news Stats & data United States

Week in Brussels: EU US, Vietnam, Cariforum, 1 year EU Japan

It’s been a week full of hoo haa around EU US agriculture trade. The EU put a bit of antidumping into its digital strategy. The European Parliament ratified the EU-UK withdrawal agreement on Wednesday and offered a moving good-bye ceremony to Britons. In London, Union Jack flags are being waved …

Central Asia FTA dispute settlement Korea Latest news Mexico Social & human rights

Week in Brussels: Movement on Mexico, Korea labour dispute, Uzbekistan

It’s been a pretty packed week. Here other low-key but important developments in EU trade policy. EU Mexico FTA stirrings The EU and Mexico had concluded negotiations towards the modernisation of a twenty year old free trade agreement in April 2018. But that agreement ‘in principle’ left the parties with …

Cambodia GSP, GSP Plus, EBA Latest news Social & human rights

Cambodian footwear, apparel, sugar face EU duty free status suspension

The European Commission has circulated initial proposals to an ‘expert group’ on the extent of suspensions of duty-free-quota-free export rights it currently grants to Cambodia. Apparel, footwear, travel goods and sugar from the fast-growing South East Asian country are among the products that will face the reintroduction of duties and …

China Latest news United States

Hogan: Industrial subsidies, non-tariff barriers in agriculture on table with Washington

At a gathering hosted by the largest umbrella group for European business in Monday in Brussels, the EU’s trade commissioner was given a first opportunity to talk about EU-China relations and to debrief on his first official trip to Washington last week. The EU and China are currently intensely working …

A week in Brussels Australia & New Zealand China Indonesia

Week in Brussels: China, Indonesia, New Zealand, ESA

With input from Chris Horseman. The week in EU trade was dominated by preparations for trade agreement negotiations with Britain next month and Phil Hogan’s delicate trip to the United States. Hogan’s tweets mention meetings with members of Congress and the Senate and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The ‘big’ meeting …