2020 marked another improvement in the EU’s leading position among the world’s biggest exporters of agri-food products. On the import side, the EU has become the third largest importer after the United States and China, according to a report published on september 8th 2020 was an exceptionally challenging, yet successful year for EU agri-food trade, which […]
Traineeships at the EFTA Secretariat
The Secretariat of the European Free Trade Association offers traineeships, for 11 months, to nationals its four Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The traineeships aim to provide junior civil servants and other qualified applicants with opportunities for training and familiarisation with the work of the EFTA Secretariat. Traineeships take place to the EFTA Secretariat Headquarters in Brussels, Geneva, Luxembourg respectively from 1st September […]
EU reaches political agreement on updated enforcement regulation
The Council presidency has reached an agreement with the European Parliament on a revised enforcement regulation. The aim of this regulation is to better protect the EU’s trade interests and rights in the context of the current blockage of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement system. The regulation also ensures that the EU can […]
Foreign Affairs Council (Trade), 12 March 2020
Agenda highlights Trade ministers will focus on the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference, recent developments in trade relations with China and the United States, as well as the impact the COVID-19 outbreak could have on supply chains and trade flows. WTO Ministerial Conference The Council will review the preparations for the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, taking place on 8 to 11 June 2020 in Nur-Sultan, […]
Trade: EU and 16 WTO members agree to work together on an interim appeal arbitration arrangement
The EU and Ministers from 16 Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have agreed to develop a multi-party interim appeal arrangement that will allow the participating WTO members to preserve a functioning and two-step dispute settlement system at the WTO in disputes among them. This initiative was launched in mid-December 2019 by the EU and a […]
New survey: More than half of EU consumers have environmental impact in mind when shopping, new survey reveals
The European Commission has released its 2019 edition of the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard. It shows that the overall gap in consumer conditions is narrowing between the different regions of the EU; that consumers are more aware about their environmental footprint; and that consumer rules enable trust in the marketplace. Main findings Amid growing awareness of […]
EU becomes member of treaty for better protection of geographical indications
The official documents for the European Union to become a member of the Geneva Act were deposited at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva. This is the last step for the EU to become a member of the Geneva Act, a multilateral treaty for the protection of geographical indications (GIs) managed by the […]
Olive oil and Wine trade in the EU
EU trade in olive oil EU Member States exported over 1.6 million tonnes of olive oil in 2018, worth €5.7 billion. Almost two thirds of these exports went to other EU Member States (63%, or 1.0 million tonnes). This represents a 15% increase in the value of EU Member States’ total exports compared with 2013. […]
First tender for private storage aid for olive oil opens today
Following the adoption of private storage aid for the olive oil sector on 11 November 2019, the first tender opened on 21 november 2019. Operators from producing Member States, (Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia) will be able to submit tenders until 26 November to their national authorities. Squeme and impact […]