The first full week of the Brussels rentrée saw the EU institutions gradually come back to life. On Wednesday the European Commission published its annual trade defence report, and one of Brussels’ leading think tanks hosted an array of political figures and academics at its signature autumn event. For all …
Asia Pacific trade
Philippines eyes EU FTA negotiation resumption by year-end
Filipino trade minister Alberto Pascual expects trade talks between Manila and the EU to recommence in 2023. Pascual, who met European Commission executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis on Monday (26 June) as part of a three-week five-country visit to boost investment in the country, told a small group of journalists yesterday …
IPEF: The quest for lasting outcomes
An upcoming ministerial meeting in the US city of Detroit should provide useful indicators about the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’s potential success. But achieving quick, meaningful and lasting outcomes will be a major challenge as the Washington-led trade cooperation framework struggles to deliver impact.
Think tank: Oz-EU anti-coercion collaboration, EU firms and China
Here are a few highlights of recent think tank trade policy activity.
EU, Australia eye June ministerial to conclude FTA talks
The EU and Australia are preparing the ground for ministers to make the final decisions on remaining sticking points in negotiations towards a bilateral free trade agreement in June.
Long Read: Chile’s lost trade policy consensus
A country known for being a poster child of free market economics and open trade is questioning its model amidst social disquiet at home and challenging geopolitics abroad. Iana Dreyer shares her insights into the trade policy of a resource-rich South American country with which the EU has upgraded an …
Blog: Canada’s beef with Britain – why the CPTPP accession deal didn’t happen
Pressure from Canada for improved access to the UK’s market for agricultural products is blocking the conclusion of talks on UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to people close to the negotiations. There had been hopes, widely reported in some media, that last week’s …
ASIA TRADE: US Congress red lines shaping Indo-Pacific Economic Framework outcomes
The fourteen members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework meeting in Australia this weekend for its first full negotiating round will need to think very carefully about the critical red lines that are behind the positions of a United States acting without Trade Promotion Authority.
ASIA TRADE: What has Asia’s trade summit season delivered?
The end of the Asian ‘summit season’ brings a big sigh of relief to most participating members. The region appears to have gotten through November without any apparent disasters, leaders managed to agree on statements, and some new initiatives were announced for trade.
ASIA TRADE: The challenges of expanding the CPTPP
Expansion has been baked into the DNA of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership. But the ongoing United Kingdom accession has revealed how challenging the process is in practice for the members as other countries have joined the queue.