Today, the Council prolonged the economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy until 31 July 2020. This decision follows an update by President Macron and Chancellor Merkel to the European Council on 12 December 2019 on the state of implementation of the Minsk agreements, to which the decision on maintaining sanctions is linked. Given that the…
The new President, Parliament and Government of Ukraine have all stated their commitment to the continued implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. A report by the EU finds that, over the past year, Ukraine has adopted important legislation and strengthened institutions, as demanded by the Ukrainian citizens, but that further work is needed, particularly to improve…
New rules on plant health, designed to stop diseases spreading or jumping borders, will become effective on Saturday. The EU Regulation 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests was steered through the European Parliament by UK member Anthea McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands. It became law in December 2016 and is directly applicable…
The European Parliament has agreed to modify the EU-Ukraine trade agreement to curb imports of cheap Ukrainian poultry meat entering the EU using a legal loophole. In a resolution adopted by 444 votes to 128 with 74 abstentions, MEPs called on Ukraine to respect the full trade agreement for good cooperation between the EU and Ukraine. Food…
The European Union’s deepening trade war with America must be de-escalated if the Scotch whisky industry is not to suffer severe damage in the crossfire, a Conservative MEP has warned. Baroness Nosheena Mobarik said her constituents in Scotland were concerned by the potential harm to exports and jobs from the crisis. She spoke out ahead…
MEPs opposed the EU Commission plans to authorise imports of products containing three glyphosate and glufosinate ammonium-resistant GMOs, in non-binding resolutions on Thursday. On Wednesday evening, MEPs also held a debate with the European Commission on the authorisation process for GMO imports, the shortcomings of which have been regularly pointed out by Parliament. These authorisations…
The European Union and Mercosur have reached a political agreement for an ambitious, balanced and comprehensive trade agreement. The new trade framework – part of a wider Association Agreement between the two regions – will consolidate a strategic political and economic partnership and create significant opportunities for sustainable growth on both sides, while respecting the environment…
The Canadian Government has decided to wait for the terms of the UK’s withdrawal before ‘rolling over’ its free trade agreement with the EU to a bilateral agreement with the UK after Brexit. A Canadian Government official is quoted as saying, “In case of a No Deal Brexit, Canada and the UK had been discussing a…
A new report from Amazon Watch is said to show that European companies have “played a direct role in financing firms that fuel the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon” under the country’s new president Jair Bolsonaro. The report details a series of prominent European corporate buyers and investors that reportedly have business ties to what campaigners…
More than 90 percent of the text of the new EU-Azerbaijan trade and political agreement deal is already agreed, it has been revealed. The news, which emerged from this week’s Azerbaijan-EU Cooperation Council in Brussels, coincides with publication of a new survey by a French pollster showing that over 85% of those polled appraised Azerbaijani…
