Put on your seatbelt and get prepared for a crazy ride this week.
Trade defence
A week in Brussels: Mexico progress, data flows, e-bikes, investment screening
It was another packed week in trade, with the trans-Atlantic relationship on top of everyone’s mind. We’ve covered some of it here, as well as developments in the run-up to the launch of EU-Australia and EU-New Zealand free trade talks. There’s been a lot of movement between the EU and …
Trade defence – member states release contours of new EU regulation
Member states green-lighted a legislative compromise on a long-standing trade defence instrument reform package initiated in 2013. Last December the Council, European Commission and European Parliament reached a final political compromise after a lengthy trilogue negotiation process. The final text is expected to be adopted by EU legislators …
Deng: Double whammy of EU steel safeguards and US duties would be ‘disaster’ for Taiwan
A decision by the EU to slap safeguards on foreign steel would have severe repercussions in Taiwan, whose exports of the alloy to the US are already subject to 25% duties, says Taiwan’s top trade negotiator. Without an exemption from the US tariffs – something Taiwan has tried and failed to …
Comment: EU should keep cool over Trump’s steel tariffs
When responding to the president of the United States’ decision to impose tariffs on EU steel for purported national security reasons the EU should focus on not harming the World Trade Organization further, argues Christofer Fjellner.
WTO: With new US envoy comes softer subsidy notifications text
The same day that Dennis Shea was sworn in as the top US envoy to the World Trade Organization, Washington submitted a revised proposal to toughen up rules for countries to meet deadlines for notifying agricultural subsidies and other trade measures. Although there were no changes in the proposed penalties …
Trade wars: Trump’s national security argument to rock global trading system
A World Trade Organization case against the United States’ Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs is bound to rock the global trading system, writes Jennifer Freedman. Despite President Donald Trump’s claim that US duties on foreign steel and aluminium would safeguard American jobs and revive domestic industry, there is …
Section 232: EU Commission to reconsider cooperation with US on China
There is a sense of disillusionment in the upper echelons of the European Commission at the announcement that the president of the United States is planning to slap an all-round tariff on steel and aluminium imports that would affect more than 6 billion euros worth of European exports. Among …
US Section 232 remedies seen as threat to EU aluminium, steel sectors
US proposals on how to punish foreign steel and aluminium exporters for unfair trade practices miss the point and would do more harm than good, European Aluminium says. Global excess capacity – specifically in China – is the “root cause of the main challenges” that the aluminium industry faces …
A week in Brussels: Mercosur, Brexit, Mozambique, Azerbaijan, TDI
It’s been an intense week in EU trade, with Brexit issues and disputes with Washington starting to dominate the picture. Here is what else happened. EU and Mercosur – still talking It’s been another tough week of haggling over the final terms of a long-sought free trade agreement …
