News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Sunday, April 27, 2025
The European Commission released a ‘roadmap’ to guide member states and EU institutions in managing a phased exit from the COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe today. Will the Commission’s approach work? Some perspective on the ‘border’ dimension of the crisis. The general approach taken by the Commission in its guidelines is …
The EU’s export restrictions on protective medical gear introduced mid-March are due to expire next week. The European Commission has reviewed the measures and is now tabling a new regulation that would narrow down the scope of the rules significantly. The products covered by the regulation are to be narrowed …
The European Union and the United States are focusing on getting over the coronavirus pandemic. But on trade, they are still ‘talking’, so to speak. Today the talk coming out of the EU is mildly tougher than usual. The EU announced a modest set of ‘rebalancing’ measures taken in response …
The European Parliament’s international trade committee has urged the European Commission to exempt the Western Balkans from a new regime of export restrictions on medical protective gear and to ensure the measure genuinely remains temporary. The letter comes as the EU prepares follow-up steps on a decision mid-March to temporarily …
EU member states are now allowed to suspend the payment of import duties on imports of vital medical supplies. The move is expected to be formalised later this week, European Commission sources said. Consultations with businesses and government are ongoing in an attempt to secure vital supplies amidst an almost …
Should the COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe last – it looks like the crisis isn’t yet over – we might see a gradual fading of the chaos that has been witnessed at borders within the single market and with non-EU countries following abrupt closures in recent weeks aimed at stemming the …
This week was ‘virtual summit’ week, with a focus on the global coronavirus pandemic and its dramatic economic fallout. G20 leaders gathered virtually on Thursday and European Union heads of government had very long meeting online last night that almost failed. But capitals still managed a joint statement. There were …
The European Commission is encouraging member states to actively protect critical medical and healthcare assets. In ‘guidelines’ released on Wednesday night, the EU executive body is seeking to fast-forward the implementation of a regulation on the screening of foreign direct investments that is only due to come into force in …
The Swiss government announced today that it would restrict exports of personal protective gear – gloves, masks, goggles and other items needed to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The move was made against the background of shortages of such products amidst a surge in cases in the …
On Monday the European Commission issued guidelines to member states on how to best manage a system of ‘green lanes’ it adopted at critical border junctions in the European Union to ease the flow of goods in the bloc’s much-vaunted single market. But what do these guidelines really resolve?
