News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
The EU and Japan are joining the United States in a World Trade Organization dispute against China’s intellectual property practices. On Wednesday, the EU and Japan filed a request to join consultations – a preliminary phase in a legal dispute – initiated by Washington. Despite facing, as political allies, …
Reports that the European Union is “closely examining” possible World Trade Organization complaints against China for its policies and practices on intellectual property come as little surprise, as the EU just last week told a WTO committee that it was concerned about Beijing’s technology licensing requirements. US President Donald …
On Monday, seven World Trade Organization members raised concerns about the EU’s new Renewable Energy Directive during a goods committee meeting. In January, the European Parliament voted to ban palm oil from the bloc’s targets for consumption of renewable energy for transport by 2021, in a shift away from earlier …
EU leaders will be in the Bulgarian seaside resort of Varna today to meet with Turkish counterparts including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is hoping to hear some good news about plans to begin technical talks on their bilateral customs union. He’s likely to be disappointed. And US tariffs on goods …
Russia has largely lost its appeal of a World Trade Organization ruling that faulted dumping duties on certain Italian and German light commercial vehicles. Today’s Appellate Body ruling means Moscow must remove the levies or face possible retaliation by the European Union. The case marked the first time a …
An informal understanding not to ramp up tensions in the World Trade Organization and an overture by Germany’s Peter Altmaier to the US on talking about trade tariffs indicate the EU and the rest of the world are trying to avoid a descent into tit-for-tat trade escalation as Washington readies …
Two of the biggest trade issues hanging over the EU will be on various agendas this week: the draft Brexit withdrawal and transition agreement, and the bloc’s ongoing efforts to avoid pending US steel and aluminium tariffs. European leaders are set to accept the draft agreement, but it’s anyone’s guess …
Almost all of the more than 50 World Trade Organization members that India invited to next week’s “mini-ministerial” plan to attend, but the two-day meeting is expected to accomplish little to tackle problems that have dogged the WTO for years. India decided to hold the informal gathering after the …
The same day that Dennis Shea was sworn in as the top US envoy to the World Trade Organization, Washington submitted a revised proposal to toughen up rules for countries to meet deadlines for notifying agricultural subsidies and other trade measures. Although there were no changes in the proposed penalties …
What comes next in the EU-US row over President Donald Trump’s decision to slap import tariffs on steel and aluminium on national security grounds is not entirely clear. Uncertainty is part of the game. Experts familiar with Washington politics tend to think that the US president is in for some …
