EU UK TCA: European Parliament wants more scrutiny powers and more time European Parliament committees scrutinised the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement this week. The series of meetings culminated in a joint meeting of the foreign affairs and international trade committee on Thursday. This kick-starts a formalised consent procedure involving …
EU trade policies
Week in Brussels: China deal furore, US suspends French digital tax duties, chides Italian taxes
This has been overall quiet and very cold week on the Brussels trade beat. Trade negotiators appear to have taken a bit of a breather after their Christmas break was upended due to historic trade and investment agreements with the United Kingdom and China being concluded at the very last …
EU, China announce investment deal
The European Union and China concluded ‘in principle’ a ‘Comprehensive Agreement on Investment’ one day before New Year’s Eve 2020.
Comment: The EU is entitled to its own investment deal with China
This opinion piece reacts to and debates four key criticisms expressed in various media outlets in recent days of the EU-China investment agreement currently seen as in the final stages of negotiations.
Week in Brussels: New Zealand, US countervails free EU CO2 emissions rights
It is quite a momentous week for trade in general and trade policy in the European Union in particular, with the future partnership agreement with the United Kingdom in the final stages of negotiation and indications that perhaps there might be ‘white smoke’ on a hitherto elusive EU China investment …
EU-China investment agreement talks near potential endgame
The European Union and China are stepping up efforts to seal a deal on a comprehensive investment agreement by year-end as mandated by their respective heads of state over the last months.
Week in Brussels: EU-UK, Turkey, EU-US
This has been Brexit week on both sides of the Channel. The dinner between Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson on Wednesday night did not bring us closer to a breakthrough on the most thorny issue of ‘the level playing field’.
EU, Mercosur eye joint declaration on environment to flank trade pact ahead of ratification
Faced with the prospect of a trade agreement with four South American countries that has taken more than twenty years to negotiate being voted down amidst wide-spread public opinion fear it might set ablaze the Amazon forest, the European Commission has taken the initiative. And it wants to move fast …
EU carbon border measure: initial political battle lines drawn up
The debate over next year’s announced European Union ‘Carbon Border Adjustment Measure’ is slowly gearing up. While nobody knows what measure will be put forward in the end – what we already know now is that it portends a major political battle next year over the future of existing EU …
Week in Brussels: CETA, France, ECT, China, EPAs
This week has seen two ‘strategic’ initiatives: the launch of a new paper on EU-US relations and the upgrading of EU-ASEAN relations post RCEP. Here other developments of potential interest. Dombrovksis talks to French Senate – Paris CETA ratification date unclear Nobody knows yet when the French government will put …