An overview of selected developments in Brussels over trade and investment this week. By Iana Dreyer and Rob Francis.
Regulations
Germany spells out ‘ambitious’ position on corporate due diligence
Germany wants an “ambitious approach” to the European Commission’s proposed directive on corporate sustainability due diligence, according to Carsten Stender, a director-general within the German ministry of labour and social affairs.
Perspectives: The EU’s autonomous trade policy’s implementation challenge
The new European Union proposal on prohibiting products made with forced labour triggered a discussion about the role of national authorities in its enforcement. This is only one example of the significant implementation and institutional challenges raised by Brussels’ new unilateral trade policy agenda.
Single market emergency regulation builds on pandemic era lessons
The European Commission today published a legislative proposal which would give it powers to control and mitigate supply chain shortages within the single market during international crises. The proposal for a “single market emergency instrument” establishes a new mechanism to monitor the single market for supply shocks, identify risks, and …
EU to take time with forced labour ban enactment
The European Commission released its long-awaited legislative proposal aiming at weeding out products from the EU’s market made with forced labour. The EU executive puts the onus on national authorities to monitor imports as well as products that have originated within the EU for signs of forced labour in their …
Corporate sustainability due diligence parliamentary fight begins
The European Parliament’s legal affairs committee has started examining the EU’s regulatory proposal on corporate sustainability due diligence. Rapporteur Lara Wolters from the centre-left S&D group wants a rethink. Many fellow Members of the European Parliament concur. A record number of committees are getting involved in the legislative process, casting …
Week in Brussels: MC12, India, Energy Charter Treaty, Chile, anti-coercion
The fact that the international trade policy community’s attention was all on MC12 in Geneva throughout the week does not mean there weren’t other meaningful news on trade and investment policy in Brussels. More below from Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
Week in Brussels: Moldovan plums, forced labour, OECD ministerial
It’s been a dramatic week in the EU as the European Parliament failed to agree on wide-ranging plans to move the EU to net-zero carbon emissions. Votes on the MEPs’ positions on the proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism and a related reform of the EU’s emissions trading scheme were postponed. …
Anti-coercion: what MEPs want from the new instrument
The legislative saga of the coming anti-coercion instrument has now begun. The regulation was tabled in December last year. The EU’s member states will likely take their time in defining their response to the European Commission’s regulatory proposal for what is termed the ‘ACI’ in the jargon. But the European …
Week in Brussels: forced labour ban, EU views on MC12, anti-coercion instrument
One can’t say the European Parliament is not working diligently. It shows in this week’s range of trade-related activities. It approved lifting import duties on Ukraine and expedited its work on the GSP regulation overhaul. Below is a selection of what else happened on trade in parliament this week. By …
