News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
The Council and the European Parliament are confident that the new regulation on an International Procurement Instrument can be wrapped up politically in the coming months, with some people close to the file even hoping there could be a breakthrough in ‘trilogue’ as early as March – although the few …
Plans towards a European Chips Act are maturing. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced a new regulation mirroring similarly named recent United States legislation will be tabled as soon as early February. Brussels’ move in the semiconductor sector heralds a much more politically controlled approach to supply chain …
Given a range of other immediately dangerous security crises looming around the EU, not least with next-door Russia over Ukraine, EU member states have been slow in coming together to discuss in depth the lingering crisis over China’s unofficial embargo on exports from Lithuania. But it’s now happened. What the …
The rapporteur on the coming new EU legislation aimed at tackling distortive foreign subsidies Christophe Hansen presented his draft report on Thursday (13 January) at a hearing that included French trade minister Franck Riester. The rapporteur wants to go fast. He also tabled amendments that seek to minimise international frictions …
Is the French government finally realising that blocking progress in bilateral trade agreements might not help its much-touted ‘strategic autonomy’ and supply chain resilience agenda that defines the country’s current rotating EU Council presidency?
Borderlex will be in recess as of tomorrow (22 December) for about a fortnight due to the festive season. So we are fast-forwarding our usual Friday Week in Brussels column for you…
A festering crisis over trade with Lithuania is helping proponents of the EU’s recently announced anti-coercion instrument make their case in Brussels.
Members of the European Parliament adopted its second report on the EU’s planned International Procurement Instrument by a very solid majority of 590 in favour. The vote gives a mandate to the legislature to begin talks with the Council – i.e. the member states – and the European Commission to …
During the first six months of 2022 the trade policy dimension of France’s rotating presidency of the Council will single-mindedly focus on its climate dimension.
The European Commission tabled a long-awaited ‘anti-coercion’ instrument for the Council and European Parliament to assess and adopt. The unprecedented EU move is welcomed in foreign policy expert circles yet raises a range of new questions for the EU’s institutional setup and the global trading system.
