The EU and China concluded the negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI in the EU against imitations and usurpation. This landmark agreement is expected to result in reciprocal trade benefits and demand for high-quality products on both sides. Delivering on the commitment made […]
The European Union, Iceland and Norway agree to strengthen their cooperation in climate action
Climate change is a global threat and demands global action: the more countries join forces, the bigger the chances we can master this major challenge of our generation. The European Union, Iceland and Norway today agreed to extend their cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. […]
Financial services: Commission sets out its equivalence policy with non-EU countries
The European Commission is today taking stock of its overall approach to equivalence in the area of financial services. EU equivalence has become a significant tool in recent years, fostering integration of global financial markets and cooperation with third-country authorities. The EU assesses the overall policy context and to what extent the regulatory regimes of […]
EU–Canada Summit: strengthening the rules-based international order
At the 17th Summit between the European Union and Canada held today in Montreal, the EU and Canada reaffirmed their determination to jointly address global challenges in a manner that strengthens the rules based international order, benefits citizens, and protects the planet by delivering on climate change and ocean commitments. Leaders expressed their resolve […]
Imports of hormone-free beef: EU-US agreement confirmed
The European Union and the United States of America will soon sign an agreement reviewing the functioning of an existing trade arrangement ensuring an autonomous tariff quota (TRQ) for imports of high-quality beef into the EU. This will provide a solution to a longstanding dispute in the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the issue. The Council today adopted a […]
EU-U.S. trade talks: milestone reached in mutual recognition on pharmaceuticals
The positive transatlantic trade agenda established in the Joint Statement includes a commitment from both sides to reduce barriers and increase trade in a range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals. The recognition by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Slovakia, the last outstanding EU Member State, marks the full implementation of the EU-U.S. Mutual […]
Barriers to trade: as protectionism rises, EU continues opening up export markets for European firms
The European Commission’s report released confirms the continuous rise in barriers encountered by European companies in foreign markets. Thanks to the EU’s firm response, 123 such barriers have been eliminated since the beginning of the current Commission mandate, allowing for more than €6 billion extra exports in 2018. The latest edition of the Trade […]
New ACP-EU Partnership: assessment of the progress made and move to the next stage
Following the recent consultations at regional level with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, Chief Negotiators Commissioner Mimica and Togolese Minister Robert Dussey met in Brussels recently to discuss the outline for the future ACP-EU agreement. Next steps While talks on the specific regional partnerships progress, the EU and ACP negotiating teams will continue their […]
Brexit: European Council adopts decision extending the period under Article 50
The European Council (Article 50) has adopted a decision formalising the political agreement reached on 21 March 2019 on extending the period under Article 50. In accordance with the treaties, the decision was taken in agreement with the United Kingdom. Such an agreement was set out in a letter from the Permanent Representative of the […]