News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
This week promises to be busy, with the European Parliament’s trade committee debating a range of issues including EU ties with the US and Latin America, the launch of trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand, and the start of the bloc’s tariffs against US goods to strike back at …
So far, six World Trade Organization members have lodged complaints challenging President Donald Trump’s assertion that tariffs on steel and aluminium are needed to protect US national security. They are broadly similar, but hardly identical, and some of the differences are quite noteworthy. More members have ganged together in …
The future of the landmark EU-Canada free trade agreement CETA was thrown into doubt as Italy’s agriculture minister said his country would not ratify the accord because it didn’t sufficiently protect the names of certain Italian cheeses. The geographical indications chapter of the deal was contentious both with Canada …
After the disastrous Group of Seven summit in Canada, the EU will need to find ways to keep calm, focus on saving the WTO’s dispute settlement system and address some of the root causes of its disputes with the US – not least Germany’s current account surplus, argues Iana Dreyer.
Expect plenty of post-Group of Seven summit articles in the aftermath of the two-day meeting that ended in the escalation of a clash over trade and US President Donald Trump’s refusal to endorse a communique. Closer to home, the focus will be on meetings of the Council, the Trade Policy …
The main obsession in Brussels this week has been the EU-US trade spat. All eyes will be on the Group of Seven meeting in Canada. Mercosur and EU negotiators have been working until the time of writing on narrowing gaps on ‘geographical indications’ protection and Mercosur’s offer on autos (rules of origin …
The first day of this weekend’s Group of Seven summit is set to turn into the Group of Six vs One, if recent Twitter exchanges are anything to go by. The one, in this case, as US President Donald Trump, who has already announced that he’ll skip tomorrow’s sessions on …
Like the rest of the world, Switzerland is wondering how the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union will shape up after it leaves the EU next March. Yet more than for any third country, for the Swiss, a lot depends on the future UK-EU trading arrangements. The uncertainty …
Switzerland is caught between a rock and hard place as the trade frictions between the European Union and the United States intensify. The Swiss are also seeking an exemption from planned EU safeguard measures on the metals. Switzerland is a small, open trading nation at the heart of Europe …
The EU says it’s complied with the latest World Trade Organization ruling that found illegal European aid for Airbus remains in place. The US disagrees. It will now be up to the WTO – yet again – to decide. The EU requested consultations with the US today to discuss …
