A final glimpse into this week’s EU trade policy. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
Social & human rights
EU ministers want FTA labour and environment chapters to be upgraded
EU foreign affairs ministers want the European Commission to review the labour and environmental provisions of free trade agreements that are already in force.
Week in Brussels: Israel, Vietnam, TSD
We are entering the thick of the autumn and trade policy activity is at its highest for many months in Brussels.
Week in Brussels: South East Asia, labour, Brazil quotas, trade defence, ECT
A big week in EU trade. Very Asia-focused, but not only. CETA and the Energy Charter Treaty were also in focus. By Rob Francis, Chris Horseman and Iana Dreyer.
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 …
FTAs: European Commission spells out new TSD chapter deployment strategy
The European Commission is not planning to reopen negotiations with Latin American countries to amend the sustainable development chapters in agreed but not-yet ratified bilateral trade agreements. But it is planning to apply its new approach to ongoing and any new FTA negotiations.
Blog: Of Ombudsman reports and EU trade policy
The European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, very recently published a report calling on the European Commission to set up “a new and separate complaint-handling portal for alleged human rights abuses” in countries with whom the European Union has a trade agreement.
ANALYSIS – EU-New Zealand FTA: sustainable development novelties
This article introduces the ‘sustainable development’ aspects within the recently concluded EU New Zealand FTA. The analysis is based on the draft text of the treaty published very recently by the European Commission. By Rob Francis, with a little bit of extra input from Iana Dreyer.
EU FTA partners to be asked to sign up to sanctionable climate, labour obligations
The European Commission today announced that it will introduce sanctions as a last resort in cases where free trade agreement partners persistently violate core international labour conventions as well as the Paris climate agreement.
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 …
