News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Don’t expect the World Trade Organization to rule any time soon on China’s challenge of the EU’s free-market rules. Well over four months have passed since the three panellists who will adjudicate the case were appointed, but the panel is only holding its first meeting next week. That meeting is …
This is a big week for EU trade negotiators, who will be putting their collective noses to the grindstone as they work toward a year-end goal to clinch agreements with Mexico and Mercosur. Momentum is building for the parties to be able to announce at the World Trade Organization’s December …
Welcome to a new weekly column ‘A week in Brussels’ with the highlights of the trade week in Brussels. I hope you enjoy it! The trade week in Brussels ends with an understated Eastern Partnership summit. It brings together of a group of disparate countries traumatised by the Ukraine crisis …
Almost a third of the World Trade Organization’s 164 members backed a new proposal today to start the process of choosing candidates for three Appellate Body vacancies and to appoint the replacements by next March. Mexico presented the proposal on behalf of 52 WTO members — counting the EU and …
The European Parliament endorsed by an overwhelming majority a new piece of trade defence legislation that amends EU methods to determine the normal value of a product and injury to domestic industry from dumping. The legislation comes as the EU prepares to drop countries like China and Vietnam from …
The European Commission has released a new ‘aid for trade’ strategy. After spending close to €97 billion in trade-related aid between 2007 and 2015, the EU is now reassessing its priorities. Brussels’ new focus will be on helping as a priority the world’s least developed countries and fragile states. …
All eyes will be on the European Parliament this week, when the assembly votes on dumping measures designed to protect EU jobs and industry. The Parliament’s trade committee approved the compromise agreement with the Council and the European Commission last month, and the legislation could enter into force this year …
EU health and safety measures for food products were a key focus of a meeting at the World Trade Organization in Geneva on Monday (06 November 2017). MC11 flop on Maximum Residue Levels The meeting of the WTO committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures examined a United States …
It’s a hot week in the World Trade Organization as members spar over disputes and trade remedies. On Wednesday (25 October 2017) the Committee of Antidumping Practices examined among others the EU’s new trade defence legislation. Eleven WTO members criticised the EU’s planned overhaul of the way it calculates dumping …
The ‘Donald Trump effect’ is being played out in full in the World Trade Organization as tensions over trade remedies and the dispute settlement bodies rise. This week WTO members are gathering in a series of meetings on trade remedies and dispute settlement. The US continues to bloc the …
