This week, EU leaders were out in New York for a UN General Assembly meeting dominated by ‘Greta’, i.e. the climate change issue. The gathering in the Great Apple was also a good opportunity to meet other leaders from across the world. Cecilia Malmströmmet among others with counterparts from Brazil …
EU FTAs & bilateral ties
European Chamber in China calls on EU to flex muscles on shipping rights
The annual European Chamber’s Executive Position Paper on China released this week was drafted in a particularly punchy tone. Its former president Jörg Wuttke is back in charge after many months of absence. Wuttke is advocating a tough European Union line on trade and investment relationships with China. The 30-page …
TDI series: Rice – The EU’s first ‘poorest country’ import safeguard
This article is the first in a series of pieces Borderlex is planning to publish over the autumn 2019 to take stock of the European Union’s trade defence instrument policy at a critical turning point both in the multilateral trading system and in the EU’s trade defence practices. Since 2014, …
Mercosur pact inflames European trade politics
Phil Hogan might come to regret having been the one to have made the the EU-Mercosur trade agreement possible earlier this summer by brokering difficult last-minute compromises. The outgoing agriculture commissioner will be among the first nominees for the new European Commission to be heard by MEPs as he bids …
In brief: WTO arbitrator report in Airbus case circulated
The arbitrator nominated by the European Union and the United States to determine the amount of trade Washington may impose tariffs on in response to the EU’s non-compliance with a WTO Appellate Body ruling has circulated his report to the parties today. The report still needs validation by the WTO’s …
Singapore eyes digital deal with EU after trade pact entry into force
Singaporeans have been kept waiting for years for a trade agreement concluded years ago with the European Union to finally come into force. While the deal is expected to bring a variety of economic benefits, there is a sense that it already starts being outdated. Singapore is keen to more …
US reset with EU doesn’t remove auto tariff or Airbus WTO retaliation threat
US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland in meetings with European Commission officials in October 2018. Credit: EC.The United States administration is making significant diplomatic efforts to bring crisis-ridden transatlantic relations onto a better footing. On Tuesday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met nominee to head the European Commission Ursula …
Bicycles: 30 years of trade protection for a profitable EU industry
Today the European Commission extended for another five years anti-dumping duties on bicycles imported from China. The duties, which range from 19.2% to 48.5% also apply to imports from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Cambodia and the Philippines inasmuch as they involve Chinese inputs. Japanese and Taiwanese-owned companies operating out of …
EU tightens up its steel safeguard regarding developing countries
The European Commission announced a general tightening of its global steel safeguard on 14 August in the afternoon – in other words, when nearly everybody in Brussels and Geneva was on holiday. The timing of the announcement is not entirely innocent; had the measures been announced in September, there would …
Week in Brussels: The French, CETA and Mercosur, treating UK as EU, recess reminder
Dear readers, this is the last Week in Brussels column before our summer recess. The next Week in Brussels column will appear on 30 August 2019. We will publish very sparingly over the next two weeks due to the general recess period in relevant European and international trade institutions. Here …