News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Some developments at the WTO this week…. Negotiators adopt second version of e-commerce agreement draft text Many observers note that negotiations on a text that would set rules for digital trade in the 21st Century have had difficulties making meaningful headway this autumn. Eighty-six WTO members have been looking in …
The conveners of the plurilateral e-commerce negotiations discreetly circulated a “stocktake” text on electronic commerce amongst World Trade Organization members at the height of the mid-August European heatwave. The e-commerce negotiations were launched among a subset of WTO members in February 2019 following a pledge at the last Buenos Aires …
The Geneva trade scene will be run by a different set of people as of this autumn….E-commerce negotiators now have a plan. And agriculture producers are be sparring about support to the sector under COVID-19 conditions. People churn in Geneva So, the WTO’s preferred candidate for the post to lead …
COVID-19 trade collapse “could have been worse” says WTO’s Azevêdo The WTO released fresh data on global trade flows during the pandemic. Initial estimates for the second quarter, when the virus and associated lockdown measures affected a large share of the global population, indicate a year‑on‑year drop of around 18.5%,” …
A lot is up in the air. With next June’s twelfth World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Kazakhstan postponed and most meetings largely called off due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, there is now much less pressure on trade negotiators to meet a big deadline and secure deals. So, what’s …
The 12th World Trade Organization ministerial conference has been cancelled at the request of the Kazakhstan hosts, due to the Corona virus. So what comes next?
European negotiators involved in the ongoing talks on e-commerce among a subset of World Trade Organization members made relatively upbeat comments about the state of negotiations that hope to set rules for the global digital economy in the 21st Century. Speaking to MEPs on Wednesday in Brussels, Phil Hogan said: …
The United Kingdom can play a big part in creating “a new gold standard in digital trade” after it leaves the EU, according to techUK, the industry body for the UK technology sector. Outside of the European Union, the UK can identify and reinforce best practice in opening up markets …
The European Commission’s director general for trade Sabine Weyand was quoted in Bloomberg today on the EU’s trade relations with the United States as thus: “If you deal with partners who link up trade policy with security and with industrial policy, et cetera, well, you have to up your game …
E-commerce negotiators gear up for intense first half of 2020 After a stock-taking meeting in Geneva early this week, negotiators involved in the plurilateral negotiations on e-commerce decided there would be a ministerial meeting on the talks in January 2020 at the annual global elite meeting in Davos. The Davos …
