News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Saturday, February 4, 2023
While everyone was away in Davos this week, business tried to seize the momentum on the coming EU sustainability corporate due diligence regulation and the European Commission acted to avoid having to repay Cambodian exporters duties paid as part a safeguard that was slapped down by the ECJ. By Rob …
The wheels of the EU trade policy machinery have started to churn again this week after the Christmas break. An update on various developments by Iana Dreyer and Rob Francis.
It took three and a half years for the General Court in Luxembourg to rule that a now-lapsed three-year safeguard on imports of Indica rice from Cambodia and Myanmar was illegal. EU judges in essence said that the European Commission had not defined the allegedly hurt industry appropriately, that it …
The securitisation of EU trade and investment policy is advancing. This week the European Commission announced it would look into tighter investment screening rules and potential outbound investment controls. Its planned anti-coercion instrument is also moving forward. And the debate on the Energy Charter Treaty is not abating. More on …
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.
It’s still very quiet in Brussels but trade policy has started stirring ahead of a packed rentrée next week.
August is traditionally quiet in European Union trade policy making. Here’s this month’s main Brussels trade story so far. A panel of arbitrators appointed under the 2016 Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Southern African Development Community ruled on 3 August that an import safeguard on frozen chicken …
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.
Tuesday’s vote in the Netherlands to ratify CETA, the trade agreement with Canada which is provisionally in force since 2017, is a clear sign that the EU’s FTA agenda is now back in full swing. But the old-fashioned geo-strategic EU-US agenda remains firmly on the agenda – as DG for …
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 …
