News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Thursday, May 19, 2022
The European Parliament’s environment committee today voted for the scope of the European Commission’s proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism to be enlarged and for the timeline for the phase-in of the scheme to be brought forward and shortened. MEPs in the lead committee in the dossier also voted to expand …
A “progressive majority” of MEPs in the European Parliament’s environment committee this week backed a shorter and earlier phase-in of the European Commission’s proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism, a levy on CO2 on a range of imported products.
A new week has passed in EU trade policy. Here some highlights. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
Observers of the ongoing Energy Charter Treaty modernisation negotiations tend to concur: the process is dominated by the European Union and its desire to have an overhauled treaty by mid 2022. After twelve rounds of negotiations among the more than fifty members of the ECT, the contours of a potential …
The latest in EU trade policy news: new restrictions on steel from South Africa and MEP calls to restrict more product trade linked to deforestation and give industries a free pass – at least for a time – as CBAM gets rolled out. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
This episode looks at the climate crisis, and specifically the trade policy response to the push towards net zero in Europe and around the world. A whole market infrastructure has been created in Europe and elsewhere with carbon emission allowances being bought and sold as a way of taxing high-emission …
There is fairly little to report back on in matters trade policy in this week of massive high-level meetings in Brussels: a NATO summit, G7 meeting, Council and US president Joe Biden attending all these. There is simply no appetite in the EU – mainly Germany – to further restrict …
European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis was called to speak in today’s plenary session in parliament to update MEPs on the state of play in ongoing talks to ‘modernise’ the Energy Charter Treaty.
The European Union’s new approach to its ‘trade and sustainable development’ chapters in its trade agreements will likely be presented as a “first test run” to New Zealand before the summer as part of their ongoing negotiations.
Here some interesting “other news” in trade policy in Brussels this week. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
