Subsidies, digital and Indo-Pacific, but also Ukraine and Mercosur. These currently are the bread-and-butter trade issues in Brussels – and developments this week were very representative. Von der Leyen announces duty suspension extension for Ukraine European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Thursday (2 February) an extension to …
Agriculture
EU – US post-Brexit agriculture quota reallocation deal edges closer to implementation
USTR Katherine’s Tai’s stopover in Brussels this week resulted not only in the relaunch of the TTC process, but also in the signature of a long-sought deal to partially reallocate the division of EU tariff rate quotas between the United Kingdom and the EU27 – almost two years after the …
US memo reignites Spanish olives row with EU
The European Commission has accused the United States of “blatant protectionism” following Washington’s failure to abide by the WTO panel report concerning Spanish olives following a US department of commerce decision in late 2022.
EU farm group warns of fertiliser market distortions as commission acts to ease shortages
EU farming lobby groups expressed frustration at European Commission plans unveiled today to help ease bottlenecks and price shocks in the supply of fertilisers.
EU farmers want Commission to go further on fertiliser tariff relief
The European Commission announced it was planning to suspend import duties of 5.5% and 6.5% on nitrogen based inputs for fertiliser production. This is seen as a means to support food production and keep prices in check in response to the fallout of the war in Ukraine.
ANALYSIS – EU New Zealand: goods, services, procurement, investment, digital
This article looks into the market access and business rule dimension of the EU New Zealand free trade agreement – except subsidies, SOEs, competition and intellectual property, which will receive separate attention. The analysis is provided by Chris Horseman and Iana Dreyer based on the draft treaty text recently published …
Week in Brussels: Foreign subsidies, Turkey steel, mirror clauses, Moldova fast-track
It’s been a big week in the European Union on trade. The highlight certainly was the FTA deal announced with New Zealand on Thursday, which breaks some new ground on sustainability issues – details here. Member states have made up their minds on the burning carbon border adjustment and deforestation …
Mirror clauses policy debate heats up ahead of Commission paper release
The French presidency of the Council may be entering its last month, but one of its key priorities –pushing for the application of EU health and environmental standards to imports of agricultural and food products – looks set to remain on the EU’s agenda for the foreseeable future.
Week in Brussels: Davos, France-Australia, Council transparency slip, citrus pest
It’s been a comparatively quiet week on the trade policy front in Europe – given the Ascension extended holiday. But there were some notable developments. By Iana Dreyer and Rob Francis.
Ukraine: EU announces help to speed up food exports via land route
The European Commission today published an action plan to help Ukraine export its agricultural goods in the wake of Russia’s invasion of the country.