The EU trade policy machinery is definitely back in action after a slow-ish start to the year. Here some selected updates on developments this week by Iana Dreyer and Rob Francis.
Internal EU politics
Macron wades into commercial policy debate in European Parliament
French president Emmanuel Macron today called on the European institutions to publish and finalise future legislation on corporate due diligence for sustainability purposes and the planned ban on products made with forced labour “as soon as possible”. During a lengthy and wide-ranging address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the …
Blog: Is the EU’s FTA agenda unfreezing?
Is the French government finally realising that blocking progress in bilateral trade agreements might not help its much-touted ‘strategic autonomy’ and supply chain resilience agenda that defines the country’s current rotating EU Council presidency?
GSP: Hautala report calls for streamlined benefit withdrawal procedures
The European Parliament’s rapporteur on the European Commission’s revision of its Generalised Scheme of Preferences is proposing a one-year ‘enhanced engagement’ process for the EU to engage with a beneficiary country which is at risk of having its preferential tariffs withdrawn. In her report amending the proposal, Finnish Green MEP Heidi …
Week in Brussels: French presidency programme, Cross Channel food trade, Lithuania, Turkey
The trade policy world was comparatively quiet in Brussels as the Christmas break continued for many in the EU bubble in this first week of January 2022. More on what happened this week in EU trade by Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer below.
Perspectives: The coming French-German imprint on EU trade policy
The European Union’s new, increasingly assertive, trade policy is now fully coming together with the formation of a new German coalition government and the upcoming French presidency of the Council. Paris and Berlin share many similarities in their approach to this EU policy are but are likely to differ in …
Blog – Macron’s trade priorities for the 2022 French EU presidency
During the first six months of 2022 the trade policy dimension of France’s rotating presidency of the Council will single-mindedly focus on its climate dimension.
The new German government and trade policy – how much change is afoot?
Germany, the European Union’s economic powerhouse and most populous country, will soon have a new government. This opens a new political chapter after sixteen years of a centre-right-led coalition headed by the towering figure of Angela Merkel. One can expect a lot of continuity on how Germany approaches EU trade …
INTA committee roundup: CBAM, GSP, WTO and MC12
No time to listen into European Parliament committee meetings the whole day? Here’s a distillation of yesterday’s INTA Committee meeting.
Week in Brussels: USTR big bash in town, Chile, New Zealand, Taiwan, Farm-to-Fork
Here is an update of various developments in the European Union’s trade policy. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
