Trade & Society
Nothing is more blah-blah-blah than the EU’s ‘sustainable’ trade policy
You can put all the sustainability principles you like in trade deals but without means for control, monitoring, enforcement or legal consequences for a failure to comply, they aren’t worth a thing, writes Adélaïde Charlier and Deborah Osei-Mensah.
Provenance and heritage in the EU: why we should preserve European products of origin
The EU should ensure that our continent’s craft heritage is protected and easily identifiable internationally, writes Sebastiano Costalonga.
A chance for a transatlantic reset
The Trade and Technology Council marks an opportunity for de-escalation and bridge-building in the troubled transatlantic relationship, writes Anna Michelle Asimakopoulos.
How to make a success of the EU carbon border adjustment
The EU has clearly fallen short in communicating its upcoming carbon border levy abroad, including on how it intends to use the revenues raised by it. Fortunately, it still has time to fix these shortcomings, write Anne Gläser and Oldag Caspar.
No CAP reform without trade reform
Negotiations to attempt to align the next phase of the Common Agricultural Policy to the EU Green Deal drag on. Yet the goal of a truly sustainable European agricultural policy will only be achieved alongside a courageous trade policy, argues Thilo Bode.
Does Switzerland try to friendzone the EU?
The Swiss Federal Council decided to withdraw from the framework agreement with the European Union. It is now imperative to clarify that both sides pursue a completely different kind of relationship, writes Stefan Legge.
The EU carbon tax could create a new era of trade wars
Europe's carbon border levy to increase the cost of carbon-intensive goods entering the EU could push the Global South towards less restrictive trade deals, ultimately causing more harm to the environment, writes Muhammed Magassy.
Mercosur trade deal threatens to wreck EU’s climate credibility
To pass the EU-Mercosur deal in its current state would set an horrific precedent for future trade deals currently under negotiation and fly in the face of the EU’s landmark Green Deal, write Laurence Tubiana and Ani Toni.
The new EU trade strategy: What’s actually new?
The new EU trade strategy unveiled by the European Commission contains much to be welcomed, but not much that is new, writes Isabelle Brachet.Promoted content
ASEAN-EU strategic partnership: a new path of upgraded relations
Under the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Brussels tightened relations with ASEAN agreeing on a Strategic Partnership. Current trade agreements negotiations with several ASEAN countries and the EP push for a region-to-region FTA give a glimpse...
EU and US should join hands to make global trading system sustainable
For four years, trade irritants mounted as we lived under the threat of a fully-fledged transatlantic trade war – never more than a late-night tweet away. A rare moment is here at last to rejuvenate the way global trade operates, writes Cathy Novelli.
The EU must not greenwash the future destruction of the Amazon
As the political divide over the Mercosur trade deal widens, its advocates argue that shelving it will damage the EU’s credibility. The opposite is true, writes Perrine Fournier.
The best basis for re-setting EU-US relations
What’s the quickest win for the Biden Administration and Europeans looking to turn a page after years of turmoil? Daniel S. Hamilton has the answer: settle the Boeing-Airbus dispute.
The Brief, powered by Facebook – On trade, politics is still king
The European Commission likes to proclaim itself a defender and promoter of free trade and the review of EU trade policy, the public consultation on which closed last week, is only likely to double down on that promise. But the...
No time for empty promises: Europe must lead on harmful fisheries subsidies
The European Union (EU) claims to be a leader in sustainability and multilateral cooperation. But so far in the World Trade Organization’s fisheries subsidies talks, the EU has failed to lead. With the talks facing an end of year deadline, Europe has just six weeks to take the reins, write Rashid Sumaila and Daniel Pauly.Promoted content
Free trade key to pandemic economic recovery
COVID-19 clearly has heightened a deep sense of uncertainty in the global economy. Global growth has been painfully stalled by a crisis from which it will take great determination to recover. Policymakers are inevitably turned inwards to the profound challenge...
Putting fairness at the core of EU trade policy
How can the EU's new trade policy have fairness at its core? Following the end of the public consultation on the new policy, a cross-party group of MEPs make their suggestions.
EU trade policy needs more than just repainting the front door
The EU's trade policy needs a radical overhaul following Parliament's opposition to the EU-Mercosur treaty, write Raphael Glucksmann and Agnes Jongerius.
Wanted: a positive trade agenda for Europe
Trade Commissioner nominee Valdis Dombrovskis needs to go back to basics and create a positive EU trade agenda. It is vital that the EU chooses a more open path and resists the renewed pressure for protectionism, argue Fredrik Persson and Anna Stellinger.
Will environmental failings bring down the EU-Mercosur deal?
It’s taken 20 years to build but Europe’s trade deal with the ‘Mercosur’ group of South American countries is looking increasingly like a rush job – with its environmental and social aspects the most shoddy, writes Amandine Van der Berghe....
Time to put the European Green Deal at the heart of trade policy
Trade Commissioner nominee Valdis Dombrovskis faces a packed in-tray. The EU's trade policy needs a complete overhaul in order to be adapted to the EU’s new sustainability goals and to harness globalization, write Anna Cavazzini and Saskia Bricmont.
A resignation that should have been avoided
Phil Hogan's resignation from the European Commission could have been avoided, but he did not receive the support he should have from the Commission President, argues John Bruton.
EU’s trade deals can put an end to deforestation
The EU must take an aggressive “stick and carrot” approach to trade deals in order to put an end to deforestation and avert a next pandemic, writes Fazlun Khalid.