News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
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 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.
It’s been one of those mega-weeks in trade again, culminating perhaps with Joe Biden beaming into the European Council last night to say hello. Nothing concrete came out of this meeting. Official statements indicate this was mostly about bonding and setting lofty common goals such as working together on COVID-19 …
Drift. That’s the best way to describe the week in European Union trade policy. European Parliament threatens EU UK TCA walkout A perpetual crisis over border checks in Northern Ireland is now a possibility, with this week’s UK decision to unilaterally extend a grace period for intra-UK border checks until …
The European Union and Canada agreed on joint rules for their planned Investment Court System which is to become part of CETA. Any such court won’t see the light for a long time, but its rules reflect EU ambitions in other areas, namely hopes for a multilateral investment court and …
EU Japan EPA and CETA updates.
This week has seen two ‘strategic’ initiatives: the launch of a new paper on EU-US relations and the upgrading of EU-ASEAN relations post RCEP. Here other developments of potential interest. Dombrovksis talks to French Senate – Paris CETA ratification date unclear Nobody knows yet when the French government will put …
Good afternoon, an overview of interesting trade policy developments in Brussels this week. 35% of EU exports to be covered by trade agreements in 2024 and other strategic objectives The European Commission’s trade directorate released its 2020 ‘Strategic Plan’ this week. The document spells out how the body will approach …
This has been quite the packed week in EU trade. Here some more. By Sarah Anne Aarup and Iana Dreyer.
