EU-US Deal on Global Steel and Aluminium

Steel Trade

European Commission President von der Leyen and United States President Biden have agreed to start discussions on a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium. This marks a new milestone in the transatlantic relationship, and in EU-US efforts to achieve the decarbonisation of the global steel and aluminium industries in the fight against climate change….

Observations on the Present State of the Nation

Northern Ireland

David Frost (Lord Frost), UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Minister for Brexit, delivered a speech in Portugal today outlining his proposals for Northern Ireland. We publish here without comment the text of his speech in full. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen A year and a half ago, in the days immediately after the UK finally left…

Colombia and EU open new chapter to strengthen bilateral relations

EU Colombia

The EU and Colombia have agreed on a “Memorandum of Understanding on an Agenda of enhanced political and sectoral dialogue and cooperation for the next decade”. It was signed on Wednesday by High Representative Josep Borrell and the Vice-President and Foreign Minister of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez in New York, in the presence of the…

Modernisation of EU Morocco Trade and Investment

EU Morocco Trade

BusinessEurope, the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) and EuroCham Maroc have adopted a “Modernisation Pact on Trade and Investment between the European Union (EU) and the Kingdom of Morocco”.  The document calls for a long overdue modernisation of the framework for EU-Morocco trade and investment relations to unleash the untapped economic potential of this…

EU urged to act over “continued rights abuses” by Pakistan

Open Letter to Ramon Borrell

The EU institutions have been urged to act urgently in the case of Pakistan’s alleged continued human rights abuses. A coalition of respected human rights NGOs, coming together under the umbrella of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), delivered a letter to the EU’s High Representative Josep Borrell, calling for the suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ status, which…

Food and Drink: What is the Real Impact of Brexit and Who Can We Believe?

Brexit labour shortage

Widening gaps on supermarket shelves and the promise of shortages of Christmas favourites like turkey and pigs-in-blankets have exposed a major flaw in the Government’s handling of the ongoing UK labour crisis and a new report. The report highlights the scale of the problem by stating that of the 953,000 current vacancies across all sectors in the UK,…

Brexit Divorce Bill Sparks Acrimony

Jenny Chapman

Baroness Jenny Chapman, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Task Force Europe, commenting on the news that Britain and EU are £3bn apart on the Brexit divorce bill estimate, said: “Whatever we think of the sums involved, the difference between the EU’s and the UK’s assessment raises questions for Lord Frost. He was supposed to agree a formula…

Empowering Women Through Trade

Women have tremendous potential to contribute to the economy and to society

The Renew Europe group has published and presented a new report focusing on empowering women through trade and tackling gender inequality.  Women have diverse roles in society, as they are entrepreneurs who manage their own business, they are employees at companies, and they are consumers. “Incorporating gender mainstreaming in trade policy is crucial. Women worldwide…

Paper Recycling: Chinese Import Ban Impact

Cepi, the European association representing the paper industry, has been closely monitoring market developments in reaction to the material waste import ban by the Chinese authorities including paper for recycling, the redirection of global flows of paper for recycling and structural changes in paper consumption and collection during the Covid-19 crisis. While secondary raw materials…