By Dr. Alexander Görlach, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs The UK’s impending departure from the European Union on January 31 creates at least one certainty. Following the Tories’ resounding victory in the December parliamentary elections, any further talk of a second referendum is empty rhetoric; the idea was rejected […]
Tag: Trade
The Sake-Scotch Pact: New EU-Japan alliance forming
“A Surprising New Alliance: Europe and Japan” Courtesy of CEPS Almost surreptitiously, Europe and Japan are discovering they have a great deal in common, joining up to defend free trade, democracy and the rule of law. For decades, low-grade commercial friction and political indifference marked the relationship. Japan’s powerful car industry frightened […]
Don’t buy the Treasury’s Chinese currency hype – then or now
“US Treasury’s Currency Report on China is a Case Study in Political Manipulation” By Daniel Griswold, courtesy of Mercatus Center The US Treasury’s semi-annual report issued this week on the exchange rate policies of China and other major trading partners is an exercise in intellectual gymnastics. The report reiterates that China was indeed a currency […]
Brexit is certain — but very little else
“Weekly Briefing: Attention turns to the structure of next phase Brexit talks” By Anthony Egan, courtesy of Open Europe The UK’s departure from the EU on 31 January is now certain. Later today, the House of Commons is expected to approve the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, before it proceeds through the final stages of […]
Around half a million German jobs depend on exports to UK
“460,000 jobs in Germany are linked to exports to the United Kingdom” Courtesy of the IAB Around 460,000 jobs in Germany are directly or indirectly linked to exports to the United Kingdom. Around 60,000 of these are employed in the automotive industry. This emerges from a study published on Tuesday by the Institute for Labor […]
No, the WTO isn’t dead, but it is on life support – and it could die this year
“Will the WTO Survive 2020?” By Daniel Gros, courtesy of CEPS The World Trade Organisation (WTO) did not die on December 11, 2019, but an important part is now missing: disputes among WTO member states can no longer be settled by an independent instance recognised by all parties. This was the function of […]
Big players will be sorry they let WTO lapse
“WTO at 25: What has It Ever Done for Us? Welfare Effects of the WTO” Courtesy of IFW Kiel January 1, 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the World Trade Organization. Whether it is looking forward to a rosy future is however uncertain. Their largest members, the US and China […]
Can Europe use trade to enforce Green Deal globally?
EU trade policy: Global enforcer for the European Green Deal By Johan Bjerkem, courtesy of EPC Stuck in a trade war between the US and China and in light of a dwindling World Trade Organization (WTO), the EU’s trade policy is in need of a new, positive and constructive agenda. The EU cannot afford […]
What can Europe do in North Africa?
“Tunisia: Should the EU do more?” Courtesy of CEPS At a time of fresh Arab uprisings (in Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon), the country that first sparked a wave of protests in 2011 went to the polls to elect a new president and a new parliament. In free and fair elections that were perceived as […]
The most unhelpful Brexit idea so far: UK-EU tariffs
Just Say No To Uk-EU Tariffs By Simon Lester, courtesy of the Cato Institute It’s hard to figure out sometimes whether Twitter reflects reality, but I’ve seen some discussion there suggesting that as part of the Brexit negotiations, the UK and the EU may be negotiating about the extent to which they will impose tariffs […]