About: free trade agreements
Putting the EU-South Korea partnership to work
The EU-South Korea summit taking place today (18 October) symbolises the EU's close and multifaceted partnership with South Korea. Yet, Brussels and Seoul should take some practical steps to strengthen their relationship, argue Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Linde Desmaele and Maximilian Ernst.
Trump ‘saves’ NAFTA as trilateral agreement by obtaining concessions
The United States and Canada forged a last-gasp deal on Sunday (30 September) to salvage NAFTA as a trilateral pact with Mexico, rescuing a three-country, $1.2 trillion open-trade zone that had been about to collapse after nearly a quarter century.
EU-Japan free trade deal threatens the fight for legal timber
While moves towards greater international cooperation are welcome, the EU’s growing number of new free trade deals must be scrutinised. And in the case of the Japan-EU free trade agreement, the deal’s impact on the fight against illegal timber is a pressing concern, writes Perrine Fournier.
Wanted: New forms of trade partnership with Africa
After several months of different European leaders beating a path to the African continent, Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission has got in on the act. But for the moment, Brussels is not offering anything new on either trade or investment.
Is it ‘the economy, stupid’ in the EU’s southern neighbourhood?
While trade wars threaten across the Atlantic, enhanced economic cooperation could be the key to stability in the EU’s southern neighbourhood.
Sowing the seeds of the post-2020 CAP
In June 2018, the European Commission unveiled its much-awaited plans for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In light of the Brexit and the emergence of new priorities such as security and immigration, the Commission proposed a 5% cut in...
EU and Japan ‘cement’ relationship against Trump’s protectionism
The European Union and Japan signed a long-awaited commercial trade deal on Tuesday (17 July), in an emphatic statement meant to counter US President Donald Trump's attacks against free trade and the rules-based international order.
Free trade agreements struggle to convince on social, environmental standards
There are real concerns about the lowering of social and environmental standards in free trade agreements, and NGOs and economists point out the lack of binding control mechanisms in trade deals. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Peru-EU trade deal provides boost to ‘superfood’ producers, other SMEs
Producers of Peru's "superfoods," native and highly nutritious products such as quinoa, Hass avocados and blueberries, have emerged as big winners in the first five years of the Andean nation's free-trade agreement with the European Union.
Farmers renew calls for protection in Mercosur negotiations
European farmers have written to the European Commission to “reject any concessions” on the agricultural chapters of the EU’s free trade negotiations with South American trading bloc Mercosur, which they say would expose farmers to unfair competition.
German grand coalition negotiators in favour of free trade
Trade deals TTIP and CETA are particularly controversial in Germany, where they have been met with fierce resistance. As negotiators continue to try and form a new government, the Socialists may come out on the losing side on trade policy. EURACTIV Germany reports.
France worries over renationalisation of Common Agricultural Policy
In France, the largest recipient of funding under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), politicians and farmers’ unions fear the policy's "nationalisation" after 2020. EURACTIV France reports.
Mexico sees EU trade deal by end of month
Mexico and the European Union are working to wrap up negotiations on a new version of their 17-year-old trade deal by the end of the month, the Mexican economy ministry said on Tuesday (5 December).
MEPs amp up pressure on Commission over digital trade
MEPs are exerting pressure on the European Commission to draw up rules on data flows in foreign trade agreements, an area where the EU executive has so far not pinned down any tangible policy.
What’s your beef? Mercosur trade talks falter
A battle over beef between the European Union and Argentina and Brazil could push trade talks beyond a year-end deadline and lead to further years of delay.
Calls grow for ‘green clause’ in EU trade deals
There is widespread consensus on the need to level the playing field for European companies confronted with environmental and social dumping from foreign competitors. Just how hard the EU should hit on wrongdoers remains a major sticking point, however.
Europe braces for CETA, attacks its legality in top EU court
Two weeks before the EU-Canada trade agreement enters into force, France evaluates its environmental and health impacts and Belgium challenges the agreement in the European Court of Justice. EURACTIV France reports.
Greeks fear they will lose their ‘white gold’ with CETA
Farmers in Greece are concerned about the fate of feta cheese in EU trade agreements with third countries after the EU failed to fully protect the iconic product in the CETA free trade deal with Canada. EURACTIV Greece reports.
Strong trade surplus offers hope for UK services industry post-Brexit
Brexit will take a heavy toll on the UK’s trade in services with the EU but its trade surplus with the rest of the world will cushion the blow if the government can sign new trade deals quickly, experts say.
EU, Japan officials seal trade agreement, sending messages to Trump
Japan and the European Union should agree Thursday (6 July) to a free trade pact that could be completed within months, after senior officials removed final snags to a political deal intended as a signal to US President Donald Trump.
At G20, the EU must walk a tightrope on trade policy
At this week’s G-20, global trade will come into the spotlight. It will present EU leaders with the daunting task of juggling economic sanity and political reality, write Ilaria Maselli and Jürgen Matthes.
Malmström clashes with Greenpeace over EU-Japan deal’s ‘green’ credentials
EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström made the case on Monday (26 June) for new trade deals with foreign partners, as fresh criticism emerged about ongoing talks with Japan.
EU-Japan trade deal learns nothing from ‘TTIP mistakes’
The European Commission is negotiating a free trade deal with Japan behind closed doors. Critics complain that Brussels has learned nothing from the controversy surrounding CETA and TTIP. EURACTIV Germany reports.