News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Friday, February 26, 2021
The first of a group of ‘new-generation’ freeports in the United Kingdom is expected to become operational before the end of this year, a government minister said this week. But although the creation of new freeports has been widely trumpeted as a key strand of the UK’s post-Brexit trade policy, …
Incoming USTR Katherine Tai signals review of UK-US FTA negotiations The chances of an early deal on a free trade agreement between the UK and the United States – which were never high – have receded further following the promise of a review of the dossier by incoming US Trade …
The door remains open to possible extensions of the various ‘grace periods’ facilitating’ post-Brexit movements of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland – but only if the UK shows itself to be more serious about fulfilling its own commitments under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The UK is still adjusting to its new post Brexit trading environment. Not only business, but also its government structures.
The British government has been challenged to translate its free trade rhetoric into action by boosting market access opportunities for New Zealand exporters as part of the free trade deal currently under negotiation between the two sides.
David Frost, the British government’s chief negotiator during last year’s post-Brexit trade negotiations with Brussels, has been nominated by prime minister Boris Johnson to oversee the UK’s new relationship with the European Union. The strongly pro-Brexit figure will become the UK co-chairman of the new EU-UK Partnership Council, the body …
Delivering impetus to negotiations on agricultural subsidies will be a formidable challenge for the incoming new WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
An overview of developments in EU trade this week by Chris Horseman and Iana Dreyer.
The long battle to agree a Trade Bill for the UK is rumbling on, and other UK trade news this week.
The struggle to agree new multilateral disciplines on fisheries subsidies within the WTO is continuing apace, with plenty of negotiating activity – and precious little consensus to show for it so far. However, Geneva insiders do detect some signs of slow progress as the talks enter their twentieth year since …
