News

During the successful first meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Pittsburgh the EU and the US agreed, among other things, to work together on global trade challenges. In this context, the EU invites stakeholders to participate and contribute to three outreach events on the different work strands of the TTC Working Group:

During the first meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) the EU and the US agreed, among other things, to work together on global trade challenges. In this context, the EU invites stakeholders to participate and contribute to three outreach events on the different work strands of the TTC Working Group:

During the successful first meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Pittsburgh the EU and the US agreed, among other things, to work together on global trade challenges.

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During the successful first meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Pittsburgh the EU and the US agreed, among other things, to work together on global trade challenges. In this context, the EU invites stakeholders to participate and contribute to three outreach events on the different work strands of the TTC Working Group:

During the first meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Pittsburgh the EU and the US agreed, among other things, to work together on global trade challenges. In this context, the EU invites stakeholders to participate and contribute to three outreach events on the different work strands of the TTC Working Group:

Do you want to understand enforcement better? Make sure to check out our YouTube Channel at the 'more' link below and hear all about it from the people from DG Trade. So far, we have published five videos: 1) Implementing trade agreements; 2) Protecting the interests of EU business; 3) Trade defense; 4) Labour provisions in trade agreements and 5) Protecting our strategic interests.

Please click on the link below to see the scheduled civil society dialogues for the rest of 2021. More details will follow soon.

This publication gathers concise information on the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), including the most recent trends and insights relating to both the economic and values objectives of the scheme. It aims to increase awareness of the benefits and opportunities the GSP offers for industry stakeholders, civil society, trade unions, and public authorities in the EU and GSP beneficiary countries.

Dear readers, This will be the last Trade News Letter before the summer. Enjoy your break!

On 15 July, the World Trade Organization (WTO) held a ministerial meeting on fisheries subsidies, which confirmed the commitment to set the course for a successful outcome on negotiations before the WTO’s Ministerial Conference starting in November 2021. The Ministers reconfirmed their shared objective to reach an agreement that will make a meaningful contribution to halting the continued degradation of the world’s fisheries resources and the economic activities, and livelihoods they support. While some divergences remain, the consolidated text proposed by the Chair of the negotiations provides a solid basis for the final leg of the negotiations.

The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) convened by videoconference in a meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment (formerly known as the UfM Trade Senior Officials Meeting), chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency of the European Commission and Jordan. The meeting followed up on the 11th UfM Trade Ministers Conference held in November 2020, and agreed a Work Programme for the coming period focused around three main pillars. Firstly, Sustainable Trade: participants reviewed the EU Trade Policy Review, the main findings of a study for an ex-post evaluation of the trade component of the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements between the EU and six partner countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia), as well as the results of an EIB enterprise survey on trade, internationalisation, innovation and climate change preparedness. The other two pillars discussed were Sustainable Investment and Regional Integration.

The Commission, with the help of consultants, organised four webinars under an EU project on trade and investment relations with Africa that aims to develop a strategic reflection on EU-Africa trade and investment policy and to strengthen cooperation and dialogue between the Commission, technical experts and trade practitioners in Africa and in the EU. The webinars addressed the following topics: Rules of origin for EU-Africa Preferential Trade – Lessons Learned and Options for the Future (18 November 2020); Developing The Automotive Industry In Africa –Opportunities For Industrialisation, Job Creation and Green Growth (14 December 2020); Investment Facilitation in Africa – How to make it a reality? (12 February 2021); and African Continental Integration, trade agreements and the EU: synergies and challenges (26 May 2021). At the link below you will find the background material for each of the webinars as well as the meeting reports drafted by the consultants.

The European Commission and the Member States participated in the fifth negotiation round on the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). The negotiations took place from 1 to 4 June by videoconference. The Contracting Parties discussed the topics of Transfers, Transit, Sustainable Development, Dispute Settlement and the Definition of Economic Activity.

On 4 June the EU has submitted its proposal seeking the commitment of World Trade Organization (WTO) members for a multilateral trade action plan to expand the production of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, and ensure universal and fair access. With this proposal to the WTO, divided in two communications, the EU underlines the WTO’s central role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and urges fellow WTO members to agree on a set of commitments, including on intellectual property rights.

The Commission's Access2Markets online portal created to help small and medium-sized firms trade beyond the EU’s borders is competing for the European Ombudsman Award 2021 to receive recognition for its delivery of a citizen-focused service. Vote at the link below for project number 32. 

On 26 May 2021, the Commission has published a notice to stakeholders informing them that the mutual recognition and related trade facilitating effects for medical devices between the EU and Switzerland ceased to apply on 26 May. This is linked to the new Medical Devices Regulation entering into force in the EU on the same date.

The EU and the Republic of Korea highlighted how their ten-year-old trade agreement remains a bedrock of the bilateral economic relationship and a strong foundation to help our economies recover and grow from the Covid-19 pandemic. The 9th meeting of the Trade Committee established by the EU-Republic of Korea trade agreement was held today in person in Brussels and was co-chaired by Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis and Korean Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee.

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The Commissioner was in Rotterdam on Tuesday to meet with customs officials and food safety inspectors and take a closer look at the facilities at the EU’s largest port. The Netherlands is the entry point for 40% of goods entering the continent.