The European Commissions director-general for trade Sabine Weyand also hopes to unlock a dialogue with the United States over the Appellate Body in the WTO by promising proposals on ‘judicial economy’ in February.
EU FTAs & bilateral ties
Week in Brussels: MEP scrutiny of EU-UK TCA, carbon border measure, Korean surimi
EU UK TCA: European Parliament wants more scrutiny powers and more time European Parliament committees scrutinised the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement this week. The series of meetings culminated in a joint meeting of the foreign affairs and international trade committee on Thursday. This kick-starts a formalised consent procedure involving …
Week in Brussels: China deal furore, US suspends French digital tax duties, chides Italian taxes
This has been overall quiet and very cold week on the Brussels trade beat. Trade negotiators appear to have taken a bit of a breather after their Christmas break was upended due to historic trade and investment agreements with the United Kingdom and China being concluded at the very last …
US extends scope of Airbus sanctions, activates digital tax retaliation against France
The outgoing Trump administration has made what could be its final contribution to transatlantic trade relations by extending its existing ‘Airbus’ sanctions on EU imports to a range of additional products. It is also imposing a new set of sanctions against French products as a riposte against France’s new digital …
EU, China announce investment deal
The European Union and China concluded ‘in principle’ a ‘Comprehensive Agreement on Investment’ one day before New Year’s Eve 2020.
Comment: The EU is entitled to its own investment deal with China
This opinion piece reacts to and debates four key criticisms expressed in various media outlets in recent days of the EU-China investment agreement currently seen as in the final stages of negotiations.
Week in Brussels: New Zealand, US countervails free EU CO2 emissions rights
It is quite a momentous week for trade in general and trade policy in the European Union in particular, with the future partnership agreement with the United Kingdom in the final stages of negotiation and indications that perhaps there might be ‘white smoke’ on a hitherto elusive EU China investment …
WTO rules provide basis for DCFTA arbitration ruling on Ukrainian lumber export restrictions
The EU said it prevailed in its first bilateral FTA panel case against Ukraine in a dispute relating to Ukraine’s export ban on certain wood products, but the ruling also leaves Ukraine room to keep some restrictions. The ruling and the case prove that rules-based resolution of trade disputes remains …
Week in Brussels: EU-UK, Turkey, EU-US
This has been Brexit week on both sides of the Channel. The dinner between Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson on Wednesday night did not bring us closer to a breakthrough on the most thorny issue of ‘the level playing field’.
EU, Mercosur eye joint declaration on environment to flank trade pact ahead of ratification
Faced with the prospect of a trade agreement with four South American countries that has taken more than twenty years to negotiate being voted down amidst wide-spread public opinion fear it might set ablaze the Amazon forest, the European Commission has taken the initiative. And it wants to move fast …
