News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Good afternoon, an overview of interesting trade policy developments in Brussels this week. 35% of EU exports to be covered by trade agreements in 2024 and other strategic objectives The European Commission’s trade directorate released its 2020 ‘Strategic Plan’ this week. The document spells out how the body will approach …
The European Union will very soon have a revamped ‘enforcement regulation’, a hitherto hardly known legal instrument that allows the bloc to retaliate against countries contravening international trade norms and not cooperating in legal disputes and thus protect itself against ‘appeals into the void’ at the World Trade Organization. The …
A vote on a low-key European Parliament report this week turned into a major battle over the direction of trade policy in a post COVID-19 world. It worked as a catalyst, revealing growing rifts reaching right into the political centre-ground on European trade politics in a turbulent time. Green goals …
If you think that, because Valdis Dombrovski’s nomination to become the next trade commissioner of the EU was relatively smooth sailing in the European Parliament, MEPs will make life easy for him, you are mistaken. A group of MEPs had amendments successfully adopted in a plenary vote on Tuesday (6 …
Spokespeople for the largest political groups in the European Parliament’s international trade committee are signalling endorsement for the ‘lobster for lighters’ deal inked by former European Union trade commissioner Phil Hogan and United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Protecting the steel industry, what to do with the EU Mercosur trade pact and finding common ground in the WTO director-general selection process were among the main topics discussed by trade ministers in Berlin today at an informal meeting hosted by the German presidency of the Council.
Valdis Dombrovskis will not take over the European Commission’s trade portfolio as a novice. But his tasks will be challenging. The former Latvian prime minister served as vice-president of the European Commission during the last political term in 2016, overseeing financial, Euro zone issues as well as investment. In this …
This is an unprecedented arrangement in the European Commission: an executive vice-president takes over the leadership of an entire Commission directorate, without a ‘proper commissioner’ taking over the job. Valdis Dombrovkis, who was entrusted the trade portfolio on an interim basis following the resignation of Phil Hogan late August, is …
“A presidency is not a government,” quipped the German economy minister in an exchange of views with members of the European Parliament’s international trade committee on Thursday (3 September). Peter Altmeier, who further oversees Germany’s industrial and energy policy, also pointed out that rotating Council presidencies taking place in the …
Not even one year into his new post Ireland’s commissioner in charge of trade resigned last night following a row over his compliance with government guidelines aimed at containing the global COVID-19 pandemic during as stay in his home country this month. The resignation also follows another recent political setback …
