About: trade barriers
EU-US announce new agri platform in bid to smooth over deepening cracks
The European Commission and the US administration announced the creation of a new transatlantic collaboration platform on agriculture in a bid to boost knowledge exchange and cooperation, but tensions remain over the wider implications of the EU's push on sustainability.
Italy’s labelling manoeuvre worries Commission and pasta makers
An Italian tribunal approved on 22 November the decrees signed by the ministries of agriculture and of economic development to include the country of origin of cereals on rice and pasta labels. The move was welcomed by Coldiretti, Italy’s largest farmers union, but worried the European Commission and pasta makers.
Germany to press G20 to sign off on free trade amid worries about US stance
Germany will press G20 members to sign off on a set of principles including free trade at this week's meeting of the group's financial leaders, in what the Trump Administration may perceive as a challenge to its more protectionist stance.
Netzpolitik editor: Trump will press on with ‘insidious’ TiSA deal
TTIP and CETA aren't the only controversial trade deals around. Net politics activist Markus Beckedahl told EURACTIV Germany that the proposed Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) is a huge threat to data protection.
German companies seek to break America
US President Barack Obama's drive to reindustrialise his country offers German companies huge opportunites if they are able to negotiate certain hurdles. EURACTIV’s new partner WirtschaftsWoche reports from the Hannover Messe.
TTIP’s regulatory cooperation has already begun attacking democracy
The origins of EU-US proposals for "regulatory cooperation" show a process dominated by big business right from the start. The ongoing TTIP talks are seeking to enshrine and fortify a dangerous precedent, argue Kenneth Haar and Max Bank.
TTIP: ‘Reform’ of investor dispute settlement clause not enough
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been flawed from the beginning. It is evident from the process that we need a new direction for our trade policy, write Max Andersson and Rasmus Nordqvist.
Don’t forget big data in TTIP and TISA
The issues of data sovereignty and data protection have been sadly lacking in the debate on trade agreements, writes historian Svend Aage Christensen.
EU firms voice fears of trade secret ‘leakage’ in China
Confidential data provided by European companies to the Chinese authorities as part of patent applications and environmental impact assessments are being leaked to local competitors, according to the European Union's Chamber of Commerce in China.
Trade: China’s red tape costing EU €21 billion
European firms are losing out on major business opportunities in China due to protectionist policies pursued by the Chinese government, according to Dutch centre-right MEP Corien Wortmann-Kool.
Poultry case ‘key test’ in cutting EU-US trade barriers
High-level delegations from the EU and the United States will meet next week (13 May) for talks on eliminating remaining regulatory obstacles hampering trade and investment between the two economic giants. A long-standing poultry dispute between the two sides is topping the agenda.
EU, China to step up work on trade tensions
A new 'High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue Mechanism' was launched in Beijing on 25 April, with the key aim of addressing the EU's ballooning trade deficit with China.
EU-US biodiesel row heats up
European biodiesel manufacturers have filed an official complaint to the Commission regarding "unfair" US biodiesel subsidies, substantiating expectations that biofuels could be at the heart of the next large-scale trade spat at the WTO.
EU concern at ‘disguised’ US, Japan protectionist agendas
The use of national security issues as a pretext for protecting companies and markets from EU competition is a source of "increasing concern" in the EU, the Commission declared in an annual report on US trade barriers. In a visit to Tokyo, the EU's trade chief also raised the issue of steep barriers to trade and investment as a key concern in EU-Japan relations.
MEPs adopt measures to strengthen internal goods market
Parliament has adopted a package of measures to enhance free trade within the bloc after it emerged that many member states are blocking imports of specific products from other EU countries on the basis that they do not meet particular national technical standards.
MEPs back plans to boost intra-EU trade
Trade within the EU received a fresh boost in Parliament this week (18-22 February) with the approval of simplified customs procedures and new rules aimed at reinforcing the "mutual recognition" of national quality standards on goods marketed within the EU.
Commission to probe cheap China steel imports
The Commission has launched an investigation into imports of steel from China, South Korea and Taiwan, which European steelmakers have complained are being dumped on the market at below cost price, putting thousands of jobs at stake.
EU-US progress on cutting trade barriers but disputes remain
The European Union and the United States made progress on eliminating regulatory obstacles hampering their economic relations, officials said on 9 November after the first meeting of the Transatlantic Economic Council. However, a number of disputes related to biodiesel, poultry and customs procedures continue to fray the relationship.
EU and US to cut trade barriers, agree on biofuels
Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen will today (9 November) lead a high-level delegation to the United States for talks on eliminating remaining regulatory obstacles hampering trade and investment between the two economic giants. The two sides hope to strike a deal on a number of key issues, including common standards for biofuels trading.
Commission vows to tackle globalisation in 2008
The European Commission has released its political programme for the coming year, with a core focus on issues such as growth and jobs, climate change, energy and migration – confirming its desire to move on from matters of institutional reform.
EU lifts Chinese textile quotas
The European Commission has announced that it will not renew limits imposed more than two years ago on textiles and clothing from China after a dramatic surge in low-cost imports from the Asian giant threatened to cause serious damage to the European manufacturing industry.
OECD to EU: ‘Stop protecting national champions’
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has hit out at European governments for protecting their markets from outside competition, saying that further reforms to spur competition and strengthen the single market are needed to guarantee the long-term prosperity of all its citizens.