News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
China and the EU will resume talks on a bilateral investment treaty this week – but don’t count on much news from the discussions. The main stories are likely to come instead from tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting, as ministers debate and decide on a range of trade-related issues including …
The European Free Trade Association expects to sign a free trade agreement with Ecuador as well as an expanded accord with Turkey this year. Negotiations will continue with India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, while talks with the Latin American Mercosur bloc that began in 2017 will also move ahead in …
