Europe is becoming a new geopolitical battleground in the US China rivalry. Is it mere coincidence that China’s foreign minister Qin Gang was touring the European Union as the EU celebrated ‘Europe Day’ on Tuesday?
France
Comment – Le Pen, Macron, and the EU’s trade policy
The current French presidential contest is tight and tense. The outcome of the run-off vote in ten days that will oppose incumbent Emmanuel Macron and the national-populist Marine Le Pen will determine whether the European Union as we know it has a future. Speaking of trade policy in this context …
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?
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.
France pours cold water on idea of swift EU Mercosur pact ratification
France is holding the key cards among European Union member states in having the long-awaited EU Mercosur trade pact ratified – perhaps one day – in Europe.
Week in Brussels: CETA, France, ECT, China, EPAs
This week has seen two ‘strategic’ initiatives: the launch of a new paper on EU-US relations and the upgrading of EU-ASEAN relations post RCEP. Here other developments of potential interest. Dombrovksis talks to French Senate – Paris CETA ratification date unclear Nobody knows yet when the French government will put …
France on a Mercosur mission
A new expert report on the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement will inform France’s new trade minister Franck Riester’s views ahead of the agreement’s coming ratification process. By Sarah Anne Aarup and Iana Dreyer.
