The Commission announced it was undertaking a review of its antidumping measures applied to biodiesel imported from Indonesia and Argentina which have been in force since 2013. The move is only part of a wider web of legal disputes regarding these measures. The announcement states that the EU aims to comply with …
EU Climate, Environment, Labour, Human Rights
GSP Plus – Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka under EU scrutiny
The EU will examine three countries under its GSP Plus scheme in early December: the Philippines, Pakisan and Sri Lanka. The Philippines have come into the crosshairs of those concerned about recently elected president Duterte’s human rights track record. Duterte’s ordering of extra-judicial killings in a bloody crack-down on drugs-related crime has raised …
WTO panel on Chinese export restrictions established
Despite Chinese misgivings, the EU is pressing ahead with its dispute against China’s exports restrictions on a variety of raw materials and metals. China initially refused to establish a dispute settlement panel, arguing its new 2017 export quotas were in line with WTO law and aimed at protecting the environment. …
Environmental Goods Agreement talks near uncertain endgame
The seventeen WTO members participating in the plurilateral Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations are trying to reach a final deal on a list of ‘green goods’ slated for tariff eliminations. It is not going to be easy. The green goods list builds on an original group of 54 product lines identified by APEC. A final …
Conflict minerals sourcing due diligence to become mandatory by 2021
The Council, the Commission and the European Parliament have reached a ‘political’ agreement on the shape of a long-awaited EU regulation aiming at eliminating minerals such as gold, tantalum and tungsten from war torn-regions (for example in Central Africa) from European companies’ supply chains. In 2014, the Parliament sent back to …
Updated: trade in the Parliament 21-24 November
The European Parliament is sitting in a plenary session from 21 t0 24 November 2016. A few agenda highlights: The Parliament will vote on a package of measures to combat wildlife trafficking on Tuesday (22 November). The report by MEP Catherine Bearder broadly endorses a plan presented by the Commission. It calls …
Sri Lanka tries to narrow down EU demands in GSP Plus bid
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and Ambassador Rodney Perera in Brussels on 20 October 2016. Credit: Iana Dreyer It should be simple and straightforward: if Sri Lanka applies the 27 human rights, labour and environmental conventions listed by the EU’s regulation, the country should be able to benefit from …
Appellate Body upholds WTO rebuff of EU antidumping duties on Argentinean biodiesel
The WTO’s appellate body upheld an earlier ruling outlawing EU antidumping duties on Argentinean biofuels. The case has broader ramifications for EU antidumping policy going forward as it follows on other converging rulings in the Court of Justice of the EU.
CETA: draft declaration hints at “effectively enforceable” labour and environment provisions in early revision
The German Social-Democrats were promised a declaration by trade commissioner Malmström and trade minister Freeland ahead of a coming Council meeting that aims to give the green light to the signature and ratification of CETA later this month. They are getting it. And it does not quite satisfy the demands made by Bernd …
New EU ‘antitorture’ regulation extends export ban to certain services and EU transit
Two years of ‘trilogue’ negotiations between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament have significantly transformed the shape and scope of the EU’s legislation aimed at controlling exports of goods that could be used to apply the death penalty or for torture purposes. Five years ago, the EU …
