China may use subsidies to prop up a range of domestic industries, but oversupply in these sectors has little impact on global trade, a Swiss-based trade watchdog says in a new report on the current steel glut and protectionism.
Miscellaneous EU trade files
Comment: EU trade agreement agriculture quotas are of little use
Import quotas on sensitive agricultural products opened in the EU’s latest FTAs appear to be of little use to both exporters and importers. The last round of EU-Mercosur trade negotiations held last week ended in acrimony. Both EU agriculture market access – aka quotas on beef, sugar and ethanol …
In brief: US extends deadline for steel and aluminium tariffs
The EU obtained a one-month extension of a reprieve from planned US import tariffs on steel and aluminium. The duties were expected to kick in today. The deadline was set in late March as the US sought to negotiate new deals with its trading partners in return for a reprieve from …
Week ahead in EU trade: 232 tariffs, Brexit
There are just two key items on the EU trade agenda this week – which of course is shortened a bit by the Labour Day holiday tomorrow – but both are of widespread interest: the divisive US tariffs on steel and aluminium and Brexit. The European Parliament is also meeting …
In brief: EU starts monitoring aluminium imports, US beef quota noise
There are only a few days to go before the EU learns whether it will manage to sidestep US duties on steel and aluminium. In March, the Trump administration granted the bloc and five countries temporary exemptions from tariffs adopted on national security grounds until 1 May, hoping to extract …
Beyond Brussels: WTO rulebook revamp touted as way to tackle overcapacity
It’s time for the World Trade Organization to study the impact of state-owned banks giving low-cost loans to state-owned industries to boost demand during recessions, US-led group of five WTO members says.
Intense agriculture lobbying as Mercosur talks resume
There is intense lobbying in Brussels on beef, sugar and ethanol this week as dormant trade talks resume with Mercosur, the South American bloc.
WTO: EU, US and Japanese silence on steel measures speaks louder than words
The EU, the US and India came under fire today for measures to protect their steel and solar cell industries. But what’s more interesting is what wasn’t said during the meeting of the World Trade Organization’s Safeguards Committee. WTO members criticised the EU’s ‘safeguard’ investigation into steel as well …
Beyond Brussels: ‘Winds of change are blowing’ on WTO rules, Wolff says
Initiatives and discussions involving large groups of countries on issues such as electronic commerce and investment facilitation signal that global trade rules are set for a revamp, says Alan Wolff, deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization. “The WTO rulebook very likely will be updated to address current and …
Comment: WTO crisis, Trump, and the EU’s credibility challenge
The EU is struggling to find a consistent, coherent and efficient strategy approach to the US administration’s choking off of the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body and to its unilateral tariffs on steel and aluminium. There is a lot of back-and-forth in the background – both in Brussels and …
