News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Animal welfare is set to become an increasingly important priority in the EU’s free trade agreements with major meat exporters such as South America, Mexico and, soon, Australia and New Zealand. Ever since the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 introduced the notion in EU fundamental law that animals are “sentient …
The European Commission has released a new ‘aid for trade’ strategy. After spending close to €97 billion in trade-related aid between 2007 and 2015, the EU is now reassessing its priorities. Brussels’ new focus will be on helping as a priority the world’s least developed countries and fragile states. …
The three EU institutions are trying to hammer out an agreement among themselves to finalise a 2013 reform package of the EU’s trade defence instruments that aims to make the EU more reactive and transparent in this policy area. The Council, led by the Estonian presidency of the EU, …
MEPs from the trade committee feeding into a current report by the budget committee on the future of EU finances have suggested the EU introduce border environmental taxes as a means to increase its own resources – its own tax take – in future. The move comes as calls …
Draft trade agreements currently under negotiation show the EU is ramping up its chapters on trade and sustainable development. One remaining open question is if these chapters will lead to a dispute settlement process that could lead to suspension of commercial preferences. The EU released the latest draft chapters …
The expert commission on CETA set up by the French government to assess the agreement’s impact on EU environmental and health effects published its report on Friday (8 September 2016). It makes ten recommendations for further action on the EU Canada trade agreement. Follow-up moves by the French government will …
The EU is preparing to launch negotiations to modernise a 2002 Association Agreement with Chile that includes a free trade agreement. Trade MEPs agreed on their wish list for the negotiations during a trade committee vote on Tuesday (11 July 2017). Agreement did not go without a small amendment game over the issue of …
Praise for any aspect of an EU free trade agreements is sparse in the NGO world. But among the flood of overall predictable press statements from business circles and anti trade campaign groups we have received on the EU Japan free trade pact concluded ‘politically’ in Brussels on Thursday (6 July 2017), one stands …
Bernd Lange, the social-democratic German MEP who chairs the trade committee of the European Parliament, has tabled concrete legal proposals for the inclusion of sanctions mechanisms for breaches to labour rules in EU free trade agreements. The Commission is still hesitant. The proposals were drawn up with the help of the German …
The EU is adding a new dimension to its trade policy: empowering women. That involves pioneering a gender chapter in the coming new EU-Chile free trade agreement.
