EU External Trade

News and information about the European Union's trade policy.

Global trade increasingly obstructed: EU Report — 17 November 2014, 17:14 CET

The tendency to impose trade-restricting measures remains strong among the EU's commercial partners, fuelling continuing uncertainty in the world economy. These are the main findings of the European Commission's annual report on protectionism published on 17 November.

EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) — 26 September 2014, 22:58 CET

The EU-Canada summit taking place today in Ottawa marks the end of the 5-year talks for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Canada is one of the most advanced non-European countries with which the EU has ever negotiated a trade agreement. The EU has much to gain from closer trade ties with a like-minded partner: Canada is a sizeable market, an important destination for European investment and a country rich in natural resources. Also, this agreement will allow EU companies to compete with US exporters on the Canadian market on a level playing field, as the US and Canada have already liberalised their trade under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Once implemented, the agreement is expected to increase EU-Canada trade in goods and services by 23% and boost EU GDP by about €12 billion a year. It will create major opportunities across all areas of the economy.

EC consults on protection of geographical indications for non-agricultural products — 15 July 2014, 22:49 CET

The European Commission launched on 15 July a Green Paper consultation on a possible extension of geographical indication protection to non-agricultural products.

Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights — 01 July 2014, 23:24 CET

The European Commission adopted on 1 July two communications: an Action Plan to address infringements of intellectual property rights in the EU, and a Strategy for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in third countries.

New EU strategy for trading minerals from conflict zones — 05 March 2014, 13:21 CET

The European Commission has proposed an integrated EU approach to stop profits from trading minerals being used to fund armed conflicts. The package of measures will make it more difficult for armed groups in conflict-affected and high-risk areas to finance their activities through the mining of and trade in minerals. The focus of the approach is to make it easier for companies to source tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold responsibly and to encourage legitimate trading channels.

EU-Brazil factsheet — 24 February 2014, 19:13 CET

The EU-Brazil strategic partnership was established in 2007, in recognition of both sides’ political and economic importance. Regular high level visits, cooperation in a wide range of areas and consultations in the margins of major multilateral events make for dynamic and strong relations.

Challenges and opportunities of EU re-industrialisation: 2013 EU industrial structure report — 17 February 2014, 22:09 CET

According to a European Commission report published today on the current status of EU industry, most sectors have still not regained their pre-crisis level of output and significant differences exist between sectors and Member States. The "EU industrial structure report 2013: Competing in Global Value Chains" sheds more light on the downward trend in manufacturing. Also highlighted are the mutually beneficial links between manufacturing and services as well as the importance of global value chains. The report ultimately underlines the growing need to mainstream industrial competitiveness into other policy fields. These issues, recently highlighted by the Commission's Communication on a European Industrial Renaissance, will be directly addressed at the forthcoming Competitiveness Council meeting on 20-21 February.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) — 09 October 2014, 21:03 CET

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade agreement that is presently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. It aims at removing trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US. On top of cutting tariffs across all sectors, the EU and the US want to tackle barriers behind the customs border – such as differences in technical regulations, standards and approval procedures. These often cost unnecessary time and money for companies who want to sell their products on both markets. For example, when a car is approved as safe in the EU, it has to undergo a new approval procedure in the US even though the safety standards are similar. The TTIP negotiations will also look at opening both markets for services, investment, and public procurement. They could also shape global rules on trade.

Consultation on provisions in EU-US trade deal on investment and investor-state dispute settlement — 21 January 2014, 18:39 CET

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht has announced his decision to consult the public on the investment provisions of a future EU-US trade deal, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The decision follows unprecedented public interest in the talks. It also reflects the Commissioner's determination to secure the right balance between protecting European investment interests and upholding governments’ right to regulate in the public interest. In early March, he will publish a proposed EU text for the investment part of the talks which will include sections on investment protection and on investor-to-state dispute settlement, or ISDS. This draft text will be accompanied by clear explanations for the non-expert. People across the EU will then have three months to comment.

EU anti-dumping investigation on imports of solar panels from China — 02 December 2013, 11:55 CET

EC documents on the EU’s anti-dumping investigation on imports of solar panels from China - EU market access investigations

EU action against gun violence - Communication — 21 October 2013, 18:11 CET

The European Commission has presented suggestions on how to reduce gun related violence in Europe. It identifies actions at EU level, through legislation, operational activities, training and EU funding, to address the threats posed by the illegal use of firearms. The ideas address weaknesses in the EU across the whole lifecycle of weapons, including production, sale, possession, trade, storage and deactivation, while respecting strong traditions of lawful gun use, such as sports shooting and hunting for example.

EU-Canada Free Trade deal — 18 October 2013, 15:47 CET

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada is expected to generate substantial new trade in goods and services as well as additional opportunities for investment. The new market access provided by the agreement will further improve the position of EU exporters and investors on the Canadian market. Once implemented, the agreement should increase bilateral trade in goods and services by 22.9% or EUR 25.7 billion, fostering growth and employment on both sides of the Atlantic. Overall, the EU-Canada agreement could lead to GDP gains for the EU of up to EUR 11.6 billion per year.

Indonesia, EU seal pact to stop illegal timber exports — 01 October 2013, 13:10 CET

Indonesia, Asia's leading exporter of timber to Europe, on Monday signed a long-awaited pact with the European Union to fight the trade in illegal timber, a driver of environmentally damaging deforestation.

Customs action to tackle IPR infringing goods — 05 August 2013, 18:49 CET

EU Customs detained almost 40 million products suspected of violating intellectual property rights (IPR) in 2012, according to the Commission's annual report on customs actions to enforce IPR. Although this is less than the 2011 figure, the value of the intercepted goods is still high, at nearly €1 billion. Today’s report also gives statistics on the type, provenance and transport method of counterfeit products detained at the EU's external borders. Cigarettes accounted for a large number of interceptions (31%), miscellaneous goods (e.g. bottles, lamps, glue, batteries, washing powder) were the next largest category (12%), followed by packaging materials (10%). Postal and courier packages accounted for around 70% of customs interventions in 2012, with 23% of the detentions in postal traffic concerning medicines.

Anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese solar panels — 04 June 2013, 17:36 CET

The European Commission has decided to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of solar panels, cells and wafers from China.

Negotiations for an investment agreement with China — 23 May 2013, 13:41 CET

The European Commission decided today to ask the EU Member States for their agreement on a mandate to open negotiations on an investment agreement with China. This is the first ever proposal for a stand-alone investment agreement since foreign direct investment became the exclusive competence of the EU under the Lisbon Treaty.

Consumer safety: RAPEX in 2012 — 16 May 2013, 15:22 CET

In 2012, a total of 2,278 measures against dangerous non-food products, were taken by EU Member States and reported in the EU Rapid Information system (RAPEX). This indicates a 26% rise in alerts when compared to 2011 figures, an increase that could be attributed to the improved enforcement work carried out by the authorities in EU countries. RAPEX is the EU rapid alert system between Member States and the Commission on non-food products. Its role is to disseminate information quickly on potentially dangerous consumer products. This allows for earlier identification and earlier removal from EU markets of products that could pose a risk to consumers, such as children's clothing, textiles and electrical appliances which do not meet safety standards.

A Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Japan — 15 April 2013, 11:56 CET

The EU and Japan on 25 March 2013 officially launched the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The aim is for a comprehensive agreement in goods, services and investment eliminating tariffs, non-tariff barriers and covering other trade-related issues, such as public procurement, regulatory issues, competition, and sustainable development. The first round of negotiations was held in Brussels from 15 to 19 April 2013.

EU Trade Defence system — 10 April 2013, 13:56 CET

The EU is committed to the liberalisation of international trade, but this depends on a level playing field between domestic and foreign producers based on genuine competitive advantages. The European Commission's role in achieving open and fair trade includes the defence of European production against international trade distortions such as subsidisation or dumping, by applying trade defence instruments in compliance with EU law and WTO rules. The Commission monitors the application of these instruments, follows up the enforcement of measures and negotiates future international rules with EU trading partners.

Modernisation of EU Trade Defence Instruments — 10 April 2013, 14:04 CET

The European Commission has made a proposal to adapt the EU's rulebook to tackle unfair competition from dumped and subsidised imports to the contemporary challenges facing the EU's economy. The Commission says the proposed changes would make the EU trade defence work better for all stakeholders, including both EU producers and importers. Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy instruments will be more efficient and better enforced to shield EU producers from unfair practices of foreign firms and from any risk of retaliation. At the same time, importers will enjoy greater predictability in terms of changing duty rates, which will make their business planning easier. The entire system will become more transparent and user-friendly.

EU's free trade agreements - state of play — 25 March 2013, 14:05 CET

Over the next two years, 90% of world demand will be generated outside the EU. That is why the EU sees it as a key priority to open up more market opportunities for European business by negotiating new Free Trade Agreements with key countries. If we were to complete all our current free trade talks tomorrow, we would add 2.2% to the EU's GDP or €275 billion. This is equivalent to adding a country as big as Austria or Denmark to the EU economy. In terms of employment, these agreements could generate 2.2 million new jobs or additional 1% of the EU total workforce. Below is an overview of the most important forthcoming and on-going free trade negotiations.

Fight against protectionism - Trade and Investment Barriers Report 2013 — 14 March 2013, 13:43 CET

The European Commission on 14 March reports some success in its strategy to fight global trade barriers. Efforts to fight protectionism over the last year, it says, are bearing fruit and could create better trade and investment conditions for EU companies. Yet the struggle against protectionism continues. The resistance of Europe's strategic partners to the plea for open markets comes into the limelight in the Commission's third annual Trade and Investment Barriers Report published today. In particular, China, India, Mercosur and Russia do not escape criticism.

China's anti-dumping duties on X-ray security scanners - WTO case — 26 February 2013, 19:09 CET

A World Trade Organization panel report (DS425) found that China's anti-dumping duties on imports of X-ray security scanners from the EU were in breach of WTO anti-dumping rules. The report marks a clear victory for the EU. If the report is not appealed within 60 days, China will be expected to remove its anti-dumping duties on EU imports of X-ray security scanners.

Key elements of the EU-Singapore trade and investment agreements — 21 November 2019, 16:47 CET

On 18 April 2018, the European Commission presented to the Council the EU-Singapore Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement. The EU-Singapore trade and investment agreements takes EU and Singapore relations to a new level and creates more opportunities for EU and Singaporean businesses to grow and create new jobs. The negotiation of the trade and investment agreements was done in parallel to the negotiation of a soon-to-be-signed Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Once in force, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement will provide the legal framework to further develop the strong and longstanding partnership between the EU and Singapore.

Reform of the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences — 31 October 2012, 23:44 CET

The EU has issued a revised import preference scheme - known as the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) - for developing countries most in need which will take effect from 1 January 2014. Following agreement with the Council and European Parliament, today's publication contains the specific tariff preferences granted under the GSP in the form of reduced or zero tariff rates and the final criteria for which developing countries will benefit. The new scheme will be focused on fewer beneficiaries (89 countries) to ensure more impact on countries most in need. At the same time, more support is to be provided to countries which the EU sees as serious about implementing international human rights, labour rights and environment and good governance conventions.