In an interview with Borderlex, the Energy Charter Treaty’s secretary-general Urban Rusnák said: “In one or two years I expect to have a new Energy Charter Treaty as complement to the Paris climate agreement.“
EU trade policies
EU initiates plan to control foreign subsidies on its soil
The Commission unveiled long-awaited plans to weed out foreign companies investing in Europe that benefit from subsidies from their home government which could distort competition in the European Union’s single market. The fundamental aim is to have foreign operators broadly comply with the EU’s stringent state aid regime. The move …
EU healthcare aims for WTO elicit no enthusiasm at Ottawa Group
The European Union tabled a “concept paper” on health to a group of like-minded World Trade Organization members called the Ottawa Group. The EU aims to avoid medical supply shortages as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic in similar situations in future. But it didn’t get the traction it had hoped …
Intra-European goods trade hit most by COVID-19 crisis
Eurostat released first estimates of European Union trade in goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The figures are staggering as expected, with extra EU-27 exports falling by 28.2% and exports by 22.7% in April 2020 alone compared to the same month last year. If one compares the trade performance cumulated over …
EU to Cambodia government: engage or we stay the course on tariffs
All EU institutions are singing from the same hymn sheet after requests came in last week from business groups to postpone the enactment of new tariffs due in August on one fifth of Cambodian exports. The message is the following: We are sorry COVID-19 let to 150.000 people losing their …
Week in Brussels + Geneva: MPIA, cigarettes, carbon border tax, Chile
Australia’s plain packaging rules okayed by Appellate Body A brief note on the fact that the Appellate Body, as expected, upheld a panel ruling that confirmed Australia’s right to impose plain packaging – i.e. remove branding – on cigarette packs. This week’s ruling will have systemic implications also for food …
EU China investment agreement – where are negotiations at?
The European Union and China have been negotiating a bilateral investment agreement for seven years. Are they anywhere close to concluding a deal? It is not yet entirely clear how mature the negotiations are with China nor how close the parties to having close-to-consolidated treaty language ready for politicians to …
WTO, US, health and trade at ministers’ table in Brussels
European Union trade ministers approached the issue of who they will support as the next World Trade Organization’s director-general with great prudence. The second ‘FAC Trade’ of the year held online today was an opportunity for EU capitals and the Commission to touch base on the bundle of recent WTO issues …
Week in Brussels: China, Dutch Mercosur vote, Australia, Myanmar, Bangladesh
This week has been dominated by news and gossip surrounding the nomintion of a successor for the WTO’s outgoing director general. Today, Nigeria announced it was planning to nominate former finance minister and World Bank official Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – a high profile nomination to say the least. The nomination period …
Opinion: The EU risks botching its WTO leadership bid
The European Union’s messaging ahead of the coming selection process for a new director-general for the World Trade Organization is cause for embarrassment, opines Iana Dreyer. But there is still time to change course.
