Turkey may be subject to secondary sanctions by the countries of the West through close cooperation with Russia After the meeting between Kremlin chief Putin and Turkish President Erdogan, Western leaders are increasingly concerned about the deepening of economic ties between Turkey and Russia. Politicians warn that the risk of secondary sanctions against Turkey is…
Even before the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy had been blocking maritime freight routes for the export of Ukrainian grain. Amid the ongoing war, for the fifth month in a row, Ukraine has been deprived of the opportunity to sell crops to its key markets in Asia and Africa, and prevented from keeping stable…
The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against the United Kingdom for not complying with significant parts of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland. Despite repeated calls on the UK government to implement the Protocol, it has failed to do so. This is a clear breach of international law, says the EU. The aim…
Leading EPP Group MEPs have strongly criticised the British Government’s intention to launch unilateral action against the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit Treaty as reckless and disappointing. The move was attacked by MEPs Seán Kelly and Christophe Hansen. They issued a statement which said “The anticipated announcement is reckless and disappointing, but sadly what…
The EU’s Global Gateway initiative is the right step forward in improving connectivity with non-EU partners and like-minded developing countries. In its relevant opinion, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) underlines that civil society representatives must be included on the board that will be set up to coordinate Global Gateway investments. It also stresses…
The European Parliament has backed a one-year suspension of EU import duties on all Ukrainian exports, to support the country’s economy. This temporary trade liberalisation, endorsed by 515 votes, with 32 against and 11 abstentions, is a response to the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which is hampering the country’s ability to trade. The…
The European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade has adopted a mandate for trilogue negotiations on the reform of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP). The GSP provides significant tariff reductions to developing countries’ exports to the EU, and is a major opportunity to improve the lives and livelihoods of over 2 billion people. The…
While Russia is targeted by economic sanctions, importers are actively seeking for the ways to evade them. Money transfer and logistics are the key issues to their strategies. According to open source intelligence (OSINT), the Kremlin may be opting for the following ways to avoid the restrictions imposed by sanctions. Running entities in third countries…
Russian propaganda is trotting out the tired old idea of “Novorossiya” again, which was last talked up when Russia invaded Donbass in 2014. The concept of “Novorossiya” is now being used to justify the second phase of the Russian aggressive war in Ukraine, a kind of “cultural and historic cover” for barbaric actions on the…
As from the end of this month, trade in shellfish – such as mussels, clams, oysters and scallops – will resume between the EU and the US. Two EU Member States (Spain and the Netherlands) will be allowed to export shellfish to the US, whilst two American states (Massachusetts and Washington) can do the same…
