News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
The EU-Mercosur Association Agreement is being much talked about and commented on in Europe. But little is actually happening concretely on the path towards ratification of a controversial political and trade agreement that was inked in the summer 2019.
This has been an intense week in European Union trade policy, with the continuous transatlantic file rolling on, a lot of action in Geneva, the EU and the ACP group finally concluding their post-Cotonou agreement and the European Parliament active on a variety of trade files. MEPs voted to resume …
The European Union and the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries concluded negotiations to update the framework agreement that shapes their political and economic relationships on Thursday (15 April 2021). This post-Cotonou agreement is all about political cooperation on anything ranging from human rights to migration to ‘peace and …
United States-European Union political relations have seen a noticeable improvement since Joe Biden took over at the White House in Washington. Discussions are intense in the area of climate change and on security – not least on international sanctions. On the trade policy front there was one US gesture that …
New United States proposals on minimum corporation tax and digital sales are a welcome return to multilateralism, but Washington’s priority seems to be delivering domestic results rather than international cooperation. This remains a challenge to which the European Union and the United Kingdom now have to respond.
It’s been a slow start after Easter, but the trade policy machinery in Brussels is gradually getting back into gear. Turkey Only a few weeks into calmer waters a new storm broke out in the EU-Turkey relationship. While the news is about about protocol matters and Sofa Gate, one of …
Ever since preliminary talks with Turkey on ‘modernising’ its customs union with the European Union were initiated seven years ago, the issue has disappeared and resurfaced with the ebb and flow of a turbulent bilateral EU-Turkey relationship. The project was recently revived – so what’s at stake?
The European Commission has risked complicating its ongoing free trade agreement negotiations with Australia and New Zealand by authorising a Cypriot cheese speciality as a new geographical indication. This move also opens up a new potential area of conflict in its relationship with the United Kingdom.
As everyone in Europe prepares for a second semi-locked down COVID-19 Easter, one must say it hasn’t been the most glorious of trade weeks for the European Union – except for a specific CETA performance.
The EU and Australia are continuing to make gradual progress towards a bilateral free trade agreement.
