News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Trade media have been abuzz this week with a new paper that is being circulated by the French and Dutch government on how they want to see labour and environment issues addressed in the European Union’s trade policy. The frenzy has been centered around the fact that the Netherlands and …
Many EU trade and investment negotiations have fallen off the radar screen. But they will inevitably resurface on after the coronavirus crisis is over. One of these is the ongoing Energy Charter Treaty overhaul. An overview of what the EU is aiming to achieve in those talks by Nikos Lavranos.
This week saw major announcements from the European Union on its plans on climate and tax for the coming years. These announcements, combined with continued uncertainties about transatlantic trade relationships, the UK’s exit from the EU, and the fallout from the corona virus epidemic, contributed to a truly febrile atmosphere …
The European Commission is planning to set a climate neutrality goal by 2050 into law. It hopes to get approval by the Council and the European Parliament for sweeping powers to mandate appropriate measures to get there. The central plank of a package of new climate measures announced today is …
On Wednesday the European Parliament held a snap debate on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and whether it was compatible with the Green Deal announced by Commission von der Leyen. The Mercosur text’s examination and ratification process have not yet started. Said text is not yet even entirely consolidated. Yet the …
It took Indonesia a long time to move from threat to action: but now we have the complaint filed by Jakarta against the European Union’s REDII directive in its relation to imported biofuels. The Indonesian complaint also targets France’s tax exemptions for biofuels – which do not cover biodiesel based …
Brussels has eagerly been waiting for the new European Commission’s ‘Green Deal, a flagship initiative announced by its new president Ursula von der Leyen. Coordinated by Vice President Frans Timmermans, the new compact of measures aims to bring together various strands of EU policy to fulfil the EU’s goal to …
WTO member governments have “never been closer” to an agreement to curb harmful subsidies to the fishing industry than they are at present – but there is absolutely no guarantee of a multilateral deal being done by the end-year deadline. This, in essence, was the message presented by speakers at …
The Centre for European Reform’s Sam Lowe explains how the European Union could go about making a border carbon tax compatible with multilateral trade rules while keeping costs under control. ***
An initiative to liberalise trade in ‘green’ goods and services, and to end subsidies on fossil fuels, has been launched by a small group of countries at this week’s UN General Assembly in New York. The initiative, led by New Zealand, is intended to show that trade policy can serve …
