The European Commission announced a general tightening of its global steel safeguard on 14 August in the afternoon – in other words, when nearly everybody in Brussels and Geneva was on holiday. The timing of the announcement is not entirely innocent; had the measures been announced in September, there would …
Miscellaneous EU trade files
One hundred WTO members chide new EU pesticides regulations
One hundred WTO members aired concerns about the European Union’s ongoing drive to heavily restrict, if not ban, pesticide use in agriculture at a meeting in Geneva today (9 July).
EU and Mercosur dare hope for trade deal breakthrough in coming days
The European Union appears determined to make a major point about trade policy at the G20 summit in Osaka, which opened today (27 June) in Japan. Negotiations to conclude a trade pact with the South American bloc Mercosur are continuing after marathon meetings with ministers today. The signs are a …
UPDATE – Week Ahead in EU trade: Vietnam and Mercosur crunch week, DSB
This article was updated on 24 June at 17.35 CET. New information includes detailed dates for the EU Vietnam agreements and an update/erratum on the Spanish olives dispute settlement case. This week we might see breakthroughs in the Vietnam and Mercosur trade agreements. We will certainly see more EU US …
In brief: EU aims to conclude Mercosur talks by end of June in Japan
Negotiators are giving it a try: to conclude the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations at the G20 summit in Osaka in 10 days’ time (28 and 29 June).
Week Ahead in EU trade: E-commerce, Vietnam, Indonesia
The main EU trade policy items to watch out for this week are: e-commerce, Indonesian FTA, Vietnam FTA and IPA.
Week in Brussels: Mercosur hoopla, Israel labelling
This week we’ve focused a lot on Australia and New Zealand as well as on internal EU battles over the steel safeguard.
EU Australia FTA: Labour and environmental issues come into focus
Compared to the ongoing free trade agreement negotiation process with New Zealand, the European Union’s trade talks with Australia are advancing slowly. It’s clear Brussels and Canberra are taking the time they need to bridge wide gaps in the way they conceive some international trade and investment issues. One of …
Auto vs steel industry battle intensifies over import safeguard
The European Union is reviewing a safeguard it introduced earlier in 2019 to relieve steel producers from inexpensive imports in a market it feared would be flooded by cheap products in the aftermath of the US’s Section 232 steel import restrictions. The measure pits embattled European steel producers against the …
Long read – Self reliance: the emerging EU trade policy trend in a hostile world
The European Commission no longer seems to trust global norms, fora or rule-making negotiations to uphold its interests in digital, competition, industry and trade policy. In fact many norms hardly exist and won’t likely emerge so quickly. The EU’s executive arm has been rethinking its policy toolkit and is seeking …
