The desire of an invaded Ukraine to join the EU has reawakened debate on an enlargement process that was largely stuck. The varied global responses to Russia’s aggression demand a similar reconsideration of the EU’s trade narrative.
EEA EFTA
EU, Switzerland move to mend trade ties
The EU and Switzerland today decided to work on a roadmap to mend their faltering relationship, with Brussels emphasising that it needs an unambiguous signal from Bern that it is ready to engage.
New Paneuromed rules of origin to start applying without Morocco and Tunisia
Simplifying rules of origin for the hub-and-spoke preferential trade arrangements in the European Union’s neighbourhood is anything but a simple exercise. The renegotiation of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin – the PEM convention – has been going on for a decade. It aims at introducing a …
Week in Brussels: Airbus tariff costs and duration, Paneuromed ROO reform
It’s been a horrible week for trade aficionados. The US said no to proposed WTO Appellate Body reforms, US tariffs on EU exports are kicking in, and one had to follow the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement negotiations. The final Brexit deal implies customs contortions in Northern Ireland which many policy wonks …
Sign up and pay up, EU tells Switzerland
European Union relations with Switzerland are not exactly the easiest at the moment. Following significant political pressure on Bern, the two sides concluded a new agreement last December setting up an overarching framework to their complex maze of bilateral agreements that cover areas ranging from trade to judicial cooperation. But …
A week in Brussels: EU US, China regulations, Swiss vs Lux steel, Mercosur
It’s been an intense week on the Brexit front as European Union free trade agreements start being rolled over and gradually transformed by exiting Britain, and ‘No Deal’ Brexit is keeping EU agribusiness awake at night. Loads in our Brexit section here. Transatlantic, Vietnam and the EU’s own sneaky protections …
UK and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway agree EEA-related separation terms
Britain and Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein agreed on the terms of their ‘separation’. Members of the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Area largely replicate EU single market rules. As an EU member, Britain is also an EEA member – hence the need to strike an agreement with …
UK and Switzerland agree to roll over three key EU agreements
A milestone was reached this week in Britain’s quest to secure trading continuity with most European Union trading partners after Brexit. Switzerland has been one of the UK’s priorities in its bid to ‘roll over’ EU FTAs with third countries. In case of a ‘no deal’ exit, only a few …
Swiss would treat UK as EU member after March for trade – pending withdrawal terms
Like the rest of the world, Switzerland is wondering how the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union will shape up after it leaves the EU next March. Yet more than for any third country, for the Swiss, a lot depends on the future UK-EU trading arrangements. The uncertainty …
Steel and aluminium: Switzerland caught between US tariffs and EU safeguards
Switzerland is caught between a rock and hard place as the trade frictions between the European Union and the United States intensify. The Swiss are also seeking an exemption from planned EU safeguard measures on the metals. Switzerland is a small, open trading nation at the heart of Europe …
