EU leaders managed to find wording acceptable to all 28 EU member states on the declaration requested by the Netherlands during a Council meeting today. A major hurdle to the final adoption of the Association Agreement and its in-built deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU’s eastern neighbour has …
EU trade policies
Council legal service adamant Ukraine association agreement declaration does not contradict substance of deal
Today, EU member states are expected to adopt a Dutch-sponsored declaration on the EU Ukraine Association agreement. The Netherlands insisted on such a declaration as a means to respond to a referendum in April 2016 in which voters rejected the agreement that all other member states and the EU institutions …
EP leadership contenders Tajani and Pittella: how they stand on trade
Now that Martin Schulz is leaving the presidency of the European Parliament, the German-dominated legislative body could end up being somewhat more italianised. Today the majority group EPP put forward its contender for the presidency, the Italian Antonio Tajani. Two weeks ago, the centre-left S&D group put forward its leader, …
EP agrees to lift restrictions on textiles trade for Uzbekistan
The European Parliament has lifted its opposition to lifting restrictions on imports of textiles from Uzbekistan by a strong majority of votes (564 in favour). The restrictions were due to be lifted in 2011, but the legislative body withheld its consent until the International Labour Organization be let into the …
EP greenlights Ecuador’s accession to trade pact with Colombia and Peru
The deal is sealed. Ecuador can now join the EU free trade agreement concluded with its neighbours Peru and Colombia. MEPs voted in favour of a deal by a solid majority of 544 votes in favour (44 abstentions, 144 no votes). The FTA with Peru and Colombia is being provisionally applied …
Trade defence overhaul faces rough ride in Parliament amidst WTO pressure from China
The compromise agreement reached by member states on Tuesday morning (13 December 2016) over the three-year old EU regulatory proposal to overhaul its trade defence legislation has been sent back to the European Parliament after two years of deadlock. It is set to face a rough ride there. Meanwhile, with …
Human Rights Watch urges European Parliament to reject Uzbekistan textiles protocol
The European Union’s plans to relax its restrictions on imports of textiles from the Central Asian country Uzbekistan are under criticism by major human rights organisations. In 2011, the European Parliament refused to endorse a textiles protocol attached to a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the autocratic and very closed former Soviet republic. …
EU lifts deadlock over antidumping package
Thanks to the “tireless efforts of the Slovak Presidency”, as Europe’s trade commissioner Malmström put it, member states have finally broken a long-standing internal deadlock in the EU over an overhaul of trade defence instruments in order to be able to remove China from a list of ‘planned’ or ‘non market’ …
EU Japan FTA: Japanese and European digital industries call for progress on data flows
The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association and the business association Digital Europe are pressing the EU Commission to accept inking a deal on data flows in the e-commerce chapter of the EU Japan free trade agreement currently under negotiation. The three year-old FTA talks are being revived as …
TDI: hopes for final compromise this week as market economy status deadline missed
EU member states have failed to reach a final compromise on the package of measures aimed at overhauling trade defence instrument legislation to accommodate for the planned end of the analogue country methodology currently applied to China. Member states had hoped to so by Sunday 11 December 2016, the expiry date, …
