Shameful. And dangerous. And this is not about a few tonnes of wheat. This is dangerous for the European Union as a polity. This is dangerous for its standing as a global trading power.
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ASIA TRADE – IPEF Supply Chain Agreement: a limp new trade approach
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’s supply chain agreement has lofty intentions. But it will require sustained involvement of firms to produce results.
Blog: Richard Baldwin talks up WTO as climate saviour
The weather in Brussels may be unseasonably warm – as if delegates needed a reminder of a key challenge facing the EU in the coming decades – but make no mistake, the rentrée is well underway.
Comment: As WTO panels slap down Trump-era tariffs, trumpian trade policy prevails
The summer 2023 capped off half a decade of a World Trade Organization wrangling with the rule-book’s national security exception. The process has landed the global trading order in a very uncomfortable place. It’s hard to see a way out unless the system accepts Washington’s zero-sum terms.
Comment: Leaving the Energy Charter Treaty also means leaving a legal mess behind
The European Commission has announced that the EU and its member states will withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty. This move probably heralds the end of the ECT and will leave a legal and political mess behind.
Perspectives: UK government needs new narrative on FTA with India
The United Kingdom government risks yet again prioritising any deal with India over reaching a substantial outcome that serves the needs of Britain’s businesses. It is time to switch to a new narrative on trade agreements that focuses on incremental improvements in relationships with its trading partners.
Comment: EU ASEAN trade – how to make a strategic partnership work
The EU and ASEAN have yet to bring to life a strategic partnership overshadowed by deep-rooted trade irritants. The EU needs to thoroughly engage with its Southeast Asian partners on its new environmental legislation, recognise their own efforts in tackling climate change and speed up its FTA agenda, writes Chris …
Comment: EU anti-dumping duties on EVs from China: really?
So the media were alerted last night. The move came – seemingly – out of the blue: the European Commission is getting ready to launch an anti-dumping case against electric vehicles imported from China. Boom! Scoop! The digestive systems of some media are simple: they spew out very quickly what …
Opinion: Another tomorrow for transatlantic tech rivalry
The ongoing Trade and Technology Council is not useless. Its promise rather goes beyond the current generation of bilateral irritants. Such longtermism can hold its value in a policy climate where local politics and Indo-Pacific take precedence over global trade and Europe, write Hosuk Lee-Makiyama and Robin Baker.
IPEF: The quest for lasting outcomes
An upcoming ministerial meeting in the US city of Detroit should provide useful indicators about the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’s potential success. But achieving quick, meaningful and lasting outcomes will be a major challenge as the Washington-led trade cooperation framework struggles to deliver impact.
