News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Emmanuel Macron, France’s freshly inaugurated President, met Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. Germans wonder whether he is making the EU more protectionist. But Merkel welcomes his insistence on demanding greater reciprocity in market openings from European trading partners. Quizzed by the press about his plans to introduce a Buy European Act …
China wanted to make the now-closing Belt and Road Forum a major global summit. But only 20 heads of state responded to invitations from Beijing. Western nations mostly sent ministers. It was nonetheless a big bash. OBOR, as the new ‘Silk Road’ initiative is called, is a plan by Beijing …
The last days have been filled with bits and bobs of information on EU trade worth sharing:
We obtained a copy of the ‘Pact for Europe’ proposal sent by a group of four leading French business associations to president-elect Emmanuel Macron on Monday. The business groups are the Medef, the biggest French business group, AFEP, the association of French big businesses (CAC40), the Groupe des …
The European Commission’s follow-up report on its March 2017 White Paper on the Future of Europe union recommends clamping down on tax evasion, strengthening trade defence, and promoting greater reciprocity in public procurement as a means to equalise the rules of the open global market place going forward. It also mulls investment …
The Court of Justice of the EU annulled a decision by the Commission to reject a 3-million signature petition to be recognised as a European Citizens Initiative. The petition requested that the mandate given by member states to the Commission to launch negotiations towards the transatlantic trade pact TTIP and …
In a joint letter sent to president elect Emmanuel Macron on 9 May 2017, four leading French business organisations have asked the new dweller in the Elysée Palace in Paris for a new “European pact”. The letter signed by Medef, AFEP – the big business organisation, and the industrial group …
ACP countries met in Brussels this week to discuss ways to better coordinate their coming relationships with the European Union. Signs are the disparate group of 79 countries – all former colonies of EU member states – has found some common ground as a successor agreement to the 2020 Cotonou …
A new House of Lords report on British agriculture trade after Brexit calls on the government in London to seek a transitional arrangement with the EU to help British farmers adapt to a new environment. The key concerns expressed by farm groups include the future of agriculture subsidies, and …
Member states have agreed on a new methodology to calculate antidumping duties after almost six months of internal negotiations. The suggested methodology will apply to all trade defence cases in future once adopted. The change to the EU’s basic antidumping regulation follows on plans to do away with a specific methodology – the …
