This has been overall quiet and very cold week on the Brussels trade beat. Trade negotiators appear to have taken a bit of a breather after their Christmas break was upended due to historic trade and investment agreements with the United Kingdom and China being concluded at the very last …
Steel
Week in Brussels: European Commission trade defence push
This week’s Week in Brussels column focuses on EU trade defence.
Week in Brussels: EU US, anti-dumping cases, Russia market distortions, deforestation
By Sarah Anne Aarup and Iana Dreyer. A selection of trade policy developments in the EU this week.
Steel, WTO leader selection, Mercosur at trade minister’s table
Protecting the steel industry, what to do with the EU Mercosur trade pact and finding common ground in the WTO director-general selection process were among the main topics discussed by trade ministers in Berlin today at an informal meeting hosted by the German presidency of the Council.
Turkey requests WTO panel in dispute with EU over steel safeguard
Turkey has decided to litigate. Earlier this year, Ankara requested consultations with the European Union as Brussels revised for the second time a contentious safeguard on steel imports introduced initially in 2018. The measures were taken in response to the United States’ decision back then to restrict imports of steel …
Second revision of EU steel safeguard leaves much unclear on modalities
“We will continue to use our trade defence instruments in a robust fashion to ensure that our economic recovery takes place in a level playing field,” said Sabine Weyand in a recent meeting with MEPs last week. Discussing the revised EU steel safeguard, which is coming into force tomorrow, Weyand …
Week in Brussels: digital tax wars, new strategy, SME exports, anti-subsidy
It’s been quite a week in terms of trade news, with the launch of an EU healthcare initiative with the WTO’s Ottawa Group meeting and new plans to control foreign subsidies of companies operating in Europe. Below some other notable news. UK talks: European Parliament talks tough on LPF and …
EU steel safeguard: Quota volumes reduced, new countries targeted
The European Union is revising for the second time a steel safeguard it applies to 26 product categories since February 2019. Differentiated approach to quota volumes In an approach that raises interesting World Trade Organization compatibility questions, the EU is not announcing an expansion. In fact the EU is reducing …
INTA committee: pharma IP, enforcement regulation, steel, chief enforcement officer
Today the international trade committee met for a somewhat longer session than the one held at the end of April at the height of Europe’s lockdown. Here some highlights of what’s been said. Pharma intellectual property The pharmaceutical intellectual property space is one to watch very closely post COVID-19. It …
Week in Brussels: Hogan on Azevêdo, G20, Turkish steel, Com sues Finland and UK on BITs
It’s been quite a week, with the World Trade Organization’s chief resigning on Thursday, adding another twist to the ongoing drama in the world trading system. But other news have been drowned in the process. A selection below. Hogan wants to move fast to replace WTO’s Azevêdo The European Union’s …