Trade policy is an important aspect of the EU Commission’s freshly released White Paper on the future of Europe. In the Commission’s vision, a revamped EU would also be a more effective trade agreement negotiator. The Juncker Commission has put forward this vision for the future of the crisis-stricken European block …
Internal EU politics
MEPs see scope for change in EU trade negotiation positions post Brexit
The European Parliament’s trade committee has undertaken a first appraisal of the possible effects of the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU on the EU’s common commercial policy. MEPs see some changes ahead in the politics of the EU27 bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and also want the EU to …
French constitutional court seized on CETA – to rule within one month
More than one hundred French MPs called on the constitutional court on Wednesday (22 February 2017) in Paris to rule on the compatibility of the EU Canada agreement CETA with France’s constitutional order. The French court has one month to decide on the case. An initial cursory legal analysis of the …
ECJ gives Commission exclusive power to sign copyright pact under the EU’s commercial policy
This week, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) opined that the EU is exclusively competent to conclude the 2009 Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. Though the matter of the treaty itself is non commercial, the court ruled …
CETA vote divides Dutch, Polish, Belgian mainstream MEPs
Data on the European Parliament’s vote consenting to the Comprehensive Economic and Partnership Agreement with Canada released today reveal emerging new fractures in Europe’s political groups as pro-trade mainstream parties saw a rise in votes against the pact. The vote on CETA held in Strasbourg on Wednesday (15 February 2017) wielded less …
Hard campaigning around CETA in EU Parliament as ratification date nears
There is clearly a sense of panic in the EU Parliament over the fate of the controversial EU Canada trade agreement CETA. MEPs are expected to ratify the pact on 15 February 2017, after which the bulk of the deal would come into force ‘provisionally’. Though most observers believe there is and …
Comment – European anti-trade groups: strange bedfellows of US President Trump
With Donald Trump in office in Washington, it is time for Europeans to lead on trade. This would also start with stopping public funding of anti trade agreement campaigners, who find themselves strange bedfellows with the far right and with Trump himself, argues Nikos Lavranos.
Blog: A look back at the first trade week in Trump-world
This week has been dense with at times dramatic trade policy events in the EU but also globally. It’s worth having a look back. A blog by Iana Dreyer. “America first” This week has begun under the sign of Donald Trump initiating a trade war with Mexico and …
EXCLUSIVE – Beyond the Wallonian veto: sixty academics out to defend European democracy in trade
After the near-death experience of CETA, the controversial trade agreement with Canada that was almost toppled by the regional Belgian government of Wallonia, a group of academics has come out to defend the European democratic decision making process in trade policy. “The other side of the academic argument needed to be made”. That’s …
Maurel: People need to be convinced trade policy is a positive vehicle for change
Emmanuel Maurel is the French MEP (S&D) who orchestrated a ‘counter-consultation’ on granting China market economy status in antidumping to protest against a similar initiative led by the Commission in 2016. He was also the EP’s rapporteur on the recent project of macro-financial assistance for Jordan to help the country …
