Russia is probably regretting having appealed the first WTO dispute panel finding against one of its most politically charged trade tussle with the EU. In September 2016, the dispute settlement body in Geneva ruled that Russia’s import ban on pork products from Baltic states introduced in 2014 and extended …
Miscellaneous EU trade files
EU agrifood export surplus at record levels in 2016
Since 2013, the EU is the world’s biggest food product exporter. New data released by the Commission suggest the export performance of the EU’s food sector continues to be strong, with the EU’s export surplus reaching € 18.8 bn, the highest on record, in 2016. Last year, the EU exported …
Wolf in sheep’s clothing: Britain wakes up to Brexit farming conundrum
From farm subsidies to New Zealand lamb imports to livestock trade at the Irish border: the process of untangling Britain’s agriculture sector from the EU’s trade policy regime will start early in the Brexit process and face daunting challenges, writes Iana Dreyer. Trade policy cognoscenti were aware farming issues would be among …
COM review of antidumping duties on Argentina and Indonesia biodiesel part of broader web of legal disputes
The Commission announced it was undertaking a review of its antidumping measures applied to biodiesel imported from Indonesia and Argentina which have been in force since 2013. The move is only part of a wider web of legal disputes regarding these measures. The announcement states that the EU aims to comply with …
EU farmers to receive more money for export promotion activities in 2017
Twenty billion euros more money to promote trade in 2017 compared to 2016, that’s what DG Agriculture is offering the EU’s farmers’ organisation to boost exports. The €133 million are earmarked to help farm groups hold fairs and other promotional activities to boost international sales of basic agricultural products and processed foods such …
Metals at heart of fresh EU dispute with China in WTO
Winning a case in the WTO against Chinese restrictions on rare earths back in 2014 was not enough for both the EU and the United States. Early October, Washington launched a new case against continued export restrictions by China on various minerals and metals. This week, the Brussels followed into …
Steel industry calls for US-style ‘non standard methodology’ to treat future Chinese exports
Council members will not only try to reach an agreement to sign CETA at a pencilled in EU Canada summit next week. They will also discuss EU plans to overhaul its antidumping legislation ahead of a planned move to grant China market economy treatment. And the steel industry is watching …
SME network says FTAs and standard harmonisation key to boost international trade
Eurochambres, a leading EU-wide network of business and SME organizations has released an annual survey on the business confidence of its members it participated in as part of the Global Chamber Platform : trade policy features highly on the priority list of the network’s members. Asked what measures they would favour to counter “trade restrictive …
Parliament readies to okay Ecuador accession to FTA with Colombia and Peru
The trade committee of the European Parliament is getting ready to greenlight Ecuador’s accession to a 2012 free trade agreement in force between the EU on the one hand and Colombia and Peru on the other. Ecuador’s accession process to the deal, initiated in 2014, dragged on as further negotiations with Peru and …
European Parliament prepares to ease imports of Uzbek cotton and textiles
The European Parliament is moving to endorse a 2011 EU Uzbekistan textiles agreement it had previously rejected. Uzbekistan came under fire for engaging in child labour and forced labour in its cotton and fabrics industry. But reported progress on that front and an EU desire to deepen its footprint in Central Asia have contributed …
