Trade & Society
UK confirms plan not to introduce checks on EU goods until 2024
The UK government has decided not to impose customs checks on EU imports until the end of 2023, in a major policy U-turn announced on Thursday (28 April).
EU Commission wants to scrap import tariffs for Ukraine
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday (27 April) scrapping for one year all EU tariffs and quotas on products imported from Ukraine, in a bid to support the Ukrainian economy that is suffering heavy losses due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Mayor: Culture and technology will shape Malaga’s future post-COVID
Strengthening the cultural elements and a focus on innovation-driven projects are the driving forces for Malaga’s future after the pandemic, Mayor Francisco de la Torre told EFE in an interview.
Ukraine war spells ‘end of globalisation as we know it’, says EU’s Gentiloni
The war in Ukraine has shown the limitations of the decades-long German approach of seeking to change Russia through trade and spells the end of globalisation as we know it, the European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday (21 April).
EU leaders to press China on stance towards Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
EU leaders will press their Chinese counterparts on Beijing's position and potential role amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a virtual meeting on Friday (1 April), marking the first EU-China summit since June 2020.
French presidential election: consensus among candidates on European tech protectionism
"Buy European Act" or not, the presidential candidates agree on the need to direct more public procurement towards European digital actors in order to be able, one day maybe, to fight on equal terms against the American or Chinese giants.
Ties with Europe are America’s geo-economic base
US President Joe Biden travelled to Europe this week amid signs that the transatlantic economy is proving remarkably resilient to disruptions generated by Putin’s war on Ukraine, the pandemic, congested supply chains, and energy price spikes, writes Dan Hamilton.
Is transatlantic trade back on the table?
As the Russian invasion is forcing the EU to cut many of the economic ties it still has with Russia, the US under president Biden are presenting themselves as the obvious partner for the future.
With China in mind, EU agrees on rules to force open tenders
Negotiators from the European Parliament and member state governments agreed on Monday (14 March) on new rules to limit access to the two trillion euros worth of European public tenders in a move designed to pressure countries such as China to open up their markets.
‘Lithuania mania’ sweeps Taiwan as China spat sizzles
The tiny handful of Lithuanians living in Taiwan is suddenly in vogue among the island's residents after their small Baltic nation did something Taipei has long staked its identity on: stand up to China.
UK faces hefty EU fine over Chinese import fraud
The UK faces a hefty fine for underreporting customs duties applied to Chinese footwear imports when it was still in the EU, according to a judgement on Tuesday by the European Court of Justice.
Britain and Europe must engage with key emerging markets
The Russian invasion of the Ukraine will destabilise world trade just recovering from the pandemic. That means that the EU and UK should pursue new economic partnerships, argues Geoffrey Van Orden.
Comply or disengage, businesses ask after proposal of due diligence law
While the new EU directive on corporate sustainability due diligence aims at making companies engage more actively in improving conditions, some argue that the risks of sanctions and civil liability might deter investment to the detriment of economic development.
EU sets out plans to make firms accountable for human rights violations
EU commissioners Thierry Breton and Didier Reynders presented the Commission's proposal for a corporate sustainability due diligence directive in Brussels on 23 February, arguing that its mix of due diligence processes, public oversight, and civil liability measures would drive more sustainable trade.
WTO might regress to ‘maintenance mode’, says Bruegel analyst
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is likely to regress to a maintenance mode with weak and largely unenforceable rules, while regional hegemons move to secure their trade interests unilaterally, according to a new policy paper by the influential economic think tank Bruegel.
IFAD: EU’s food sovereignty is Africa’s shot to boost agricultural growth
Europe’s push to decrease over-reliance on third-country food production is unavoidable due to the pandemic. Still, it could come in handy for encouraging African domestic production, according to the president of the UN’s Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Join forces at EU level for sustainable international supply chains
European business and union leaders need to work together to foster sustainable international supply chains, write Petra Bolster-Damen, Piet Fortuin, and Ingrid Thijssen.
Belgium permits four-day week, right to disconnect
Belgian employees will be able to work a four-day week after the government on Tuesday (15 February) agreed a new labour accord aimed at bringing flexibility to an otherwise rigid labour market.
Taiwan joins WTO case against China over Lithuania
Taiwan has joined the United States and Australia in backing a European Union trade case against China at the World Trade Organization over Beijing's alleged trade curbs on Lithuania, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday (15 February).
China suspends Lithuanian beef imports as Taiwan row grows
China has suspended imports of beef from Lithuania since Wednesday (9 February), the General Administration of Customs said, amid a growing trade spat with the Baltic nation and its Western allies centred on Chinese-claimed Taiwan.
Post-pandemic trade set to increase border disruption, warn UK lawmakers
Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic it is “clear that EU exit has had an impact, and that new border arrangements have added costs to business”, states a report published on Wednesday (9 February) by the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.
Lithuania urges countries to resist Chinese ‘coercion’
China will target more countries with "economic coercion" unless "like-minded" nations push back, Lithuania's foreign minister warned Wednesday during a trip to Canberra to open the country's first embassy in Australia.
Company coalition calls for robust human rights due diligence laws
With EU legislation on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence to be proposed by the EU Commission in February, a cross-sectoral coalition of EU companies have called for it to adopt a risk-based approach and apply to all companies operating in Europe.