News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Saturday, April 26, 2025
It’s been the kind of week that is sprinkled with a slew of ‘little’ news but little that is earth-shattering. Some news were rather big such as the launch of investment promotion agreement negotiations with Angola, the announcement that the EU and Kenya will apply their EPA bilaterally or the …
The European Union is planning to extend its three-year safeguard into imports of steel for another three years, in a move that is unprecedented in the EU’s trade defence history.
It’s been quite the week in trade policy in Brussels, with the transatlantic relationship and global vaccine access a central theme. We had a suspension of tariff escalation plans by the EU to leave room to the United States to somehow phase out their Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs …
The European Union wants to be seen as a solutions-provider in the ongoing World Trade Organization’s health-related dealings. This comes after having been caught unawares by a recent decision by the United States to drop its long-held belief in the unassailability of pharmaceutical patents and negotiate a waiver on TRIPS …
The European Union has agreed not to proceed with a second tranche of retaliatory import duties on United States imports on 1st of June as originally planned in order to leave room for further negotiations with the United States. The duty enactment could be deferred for up to six months.
The global news cycle is dominated today by the decision by the United States to support the idea of a waiver on intellectual property rules enshrined in the World Trade Organization.
The European Commission released today its regulation proposal for an instrument to control “foreign subsidies distorting the internal market”.
Alongside long-announced new legislation aimed at countering the distortive effects of subsidies of non-EU firms operating in the European Single Market, the Commission is set to unveil a revised industrial strategy in the coming days.
There are timid signs of a gradual Washington ‘awakening’ to trade files that the European Union would want to settle with Washington to move on on trade.
The countdown for a second round of European retaliatory tariffs in response to United Sates tariffs on steel and aluminium from the European Union and the ex-EU member United Kingdom is now clearly on.
