The French government announced an ‘action plan’ on the EU Canada CETA agreement on Wednesday (25 October 2017). A deep dive into the 20-page document reveals how Macron’s government is manoeuvring to make highly contested trade agreements back home palatable to his party base and the electorate when it puts …
Internal EU politics
Paris to toughen environmental measures ahead of CETA ratification
The French government plans to put CETA to ratification in its national assembly in the second half of 2018. In the meantime Paris will work on means to introduce what it termed an “environmental veto” on investor-state disputes that could jeopardise climate policies, ministers announced today. The EU Canada …
In brief: European Council – Mercosur, data flows
The heads of EU governments who met on Thursday and Friday (19 and 20 October 2017) in Brussels agreed on a working agenda for the next two years and on Britain’s departure from the EU. Significant policy signals were sent on crucial trade policy files, namely free trade negotiations with …
Blog: State of play ongoing trade files
Trade ministers gathering informally in Brussels on Friday (13 October 2017) discussed the announcements by Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in his September State of the Union speech: new free trade agreements, the separation of negotiating tracks for EU-only trade agreements and ‘mixed’ investment agreements, the publication of member state trade …
Mercosur – 11 EU capitals put brakes on EU TRQ offer as bargain outline emerges
The EU is preparing to table a new tariff offer to the South American trading bloc ahead of a new round of negotiations starting on Monday (2 October 2017). Eleven member states are attempting to put a brake on an offer to extend tariff rate quotes on beef, poultry, sugar, …
Macron speech: trade discourse focuses on transparency, enforcement and reciprocity
A European trade prosecutor anyone? France’s president Emmanuel Macron gave a very long speech on Tuesday (26 September 2017). The speech carries the title Initiative pour l’Europe : Une Europe souveraine, unie, démocratique. In English that would be: Initiative for Europe: a sovereign, united and democratic Europe. The speech …
Commission’s MIC and New Zealand – Australia FTA wish list
In line with announcements made by president Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday (13 September 2017) in Strasbourg, the Commission released the draft mandate it is requesting from member states to negotiate free trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand.
Trade – key takeaways from Juncker State of Union speech
Trade featured first on a very long list of policy and EU reform proposals formulated by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker during his annual ‘State of the Union’ speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday (13 September 2017). Announcements include the finalisation of a …
France’s expert commission’s ten CETA commandments
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 …
French constitutional decision removes further obstacle to CETA ratification
Sneaky. But unsurprising. France’s constitutional council delivered its verdict on the EU Canada CETA free trade agreement in the depths of summer. On the very last day of July 2017, France’s so-called ‘wise men’ disclosed that they had strictly no objections to the controversial trade deal which more than …
