We obtained a copy of the ‘Pact for Europe’ proposal sent by a group of four leading French business associations to president-elect Emmanuel Macron on Monday. The business groups are the Medef, the biggest French business group, AFEP, the association of French big businesses (CAC40), the Groupe des …
Internal EU politics
Commission seeks to flex muscles on investment, TDI, tax, procurement
The European Commission’s follow-up report on its March 2017 White Paper on the Future of Europe union recommends clamping down on tax evasion, strengthening trade defence, and promoting greater reciprocity in public procurement as a means to equalise the rules of the open global market place going forward. It also mulls investment …
ECJ annuls Commission decision to reject citizen petition on TTIP and CETA
The Court of Justice of the EU annulled a decision by the Commission to reject a 3-million signature petition to be recognised as a European Citizens Initiative. The petition requested that the mandate given by member states to the Commission to launch negotiations towards the transatlantic trade pact TTIP and …
In brief: French business bosses ask Macron for “really dissuasive” trade defence
In a joint letter sent to president elect Emmanuel Macron on 9 May 2017, four leading French business organisations have asked the new dweller in the Elysée Palace in Paris for a new “European pact”. The letter signed by Medef, AFEP – the big business organisation, and the industrial group …
France: Macron’s free trade stance to come with “conditions”
Trade policy was not a central topic in the campaign in the run-up to the first round of French presidential elections on Sunday (23 April) which propelled 39-old Emmanuel Macron to first place, ahead of the populist Eurosceptic Marine Le Pen. What would France’s approach be to the EU’s trade policy under Macron …
Blog : Bavaria’s views on the EU’s multilateral investment court project
Ever wondered what the state of Bavaria thinks of the EU’s plans for a multilateral investment court? You can find out by ploughing through the many responses the public consultation led by the European Commission on its plans for a new mechanism to resolve disputes between international investors and states. …
In brief: French constitutional court postpones CETA decision
France’s constitutional council has decided to postpone its decision on the compatibility of the EU Canadian trade pact CETA with the French constitution. France’s court was seized one month ago by more than 100 French MPs, with the legal support of three NGOs: Foodwatch Europe, the Institut Veblen and the …
Member states call for EU trade push
The Council conclusions adopted by 27 member states in the middle of the night of Thursday to Friday (9/10 March 2017) indicate the direction of travel the member states want the EU to take on trade policy in the coming months: forward. The member states say that the recent …
Blog: France, Ireland and Italy feature alongside Germany in Navarro trade deficit discourse
The mainstream media have mostly picked upon Peter Navarro’s comments on Germany’s trade surplus with the United States during his speech at the National Association of Business Economics on Monday (6 March 2017). But other European countries should pay closer attention to what he says too. The White House …
Opinion: EU Trump-era FTA-turbo-charge rings hollow
Current Brussels talk about turbo-charging bilateral free trade negotiations rings hollow. In 2017, less is more, opines Iana Dreyer. EU member state trade ministers met in sunny Valletta, the capital of the Mediterranean island of Malta, the country that holds the rotating presidency, on Friday (3 March 2017). The …
