Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

OECD | Critical Raw Materials Face Rising Export Restrictions, Increasing Risks to Global Supply Chains

Several key minerals that are essential inputs for digital and renewable energy technologies face high exposure to export restrictions, and the number of restrictions continues to rise, a new OECD report finds. The annual update of the OECD Inventory of Export Restrictions on Critical Raw Materials tracks export restrictions and supports analysis of their impact on availability, prices and global supply chains. The OECD continues to monitor these measures over time. The latest edition, which analyses measures implemented through the end of 2024, shows...

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Troutman Pepper Locke | ICE Reclassifies Common Form I-9 Errors as Substantive Violations

For the first time in more than 10 years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has updated its Form I‑9 inspection guidance on “technical” and “substantive” violations by publishing a Fact Sheet indicating that many errors that were previously treated as technical, i.e., curable within a 10-business‑day window in the event of an audit, will now be categorized as substantive violations subject to immediate penalty without the opportunity to correct them. More Errors Now Count as Substantive Violations ICE now treats a range of common, previously “technical” mistakes...

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European Commission | Proposal of a Plan for Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rules

The European Commission today presented its plan to modernise EU lawmaking, ensuring that laws are clearer, simpler, more efficiently enforced, based on solid evidence and better aligned with the needs of citizens and businesses. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: "Europe needs clear and coherent legislation that fully responds to the needs of our citizens and businesses. Today, we deliver our plan to make EU lawmaking more efficient, more effective, and more transparent. We will apply simplicity by...

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World Bank | Middle East War to Spark Biggest Energy Price Surge in Four Years

Commodity prices forecast to rise by 16% this year, fueling inflation and slowing growth.  Energy prices are projected to surge by 24% this year to their highest level since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as the war in the Middle East sends a severe shock through global commodity markets, according to the World Bank Group's latest Commodity Markets Outlook. Overall commodity prices are forecast to rise 16% in 2026, driven by soaring energy and fertilizer prices and record-high prices for several key metals. The shock will have serious implications for job creation and development, the analysis indicates. Attacks...

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Trepp | Chief Economist’s Weekly Watch: FOMC Meeting, Treasury Yields, and Corporate Credit Spreads

Last week's large bank earnings were strong, but questions remain about whether that strength extends to broader credit conditions. Here are three things to watch for this week: FOMC Meeting With no policy change expected, the April FOMC meeting will be watched for how officials frame the mix of sticky inflation, energy-price risk, and softer sentiment. The key question is whether Powell’s communication reinforces the current expectation that rates remain on hold for now, or whether the press conference shifts attention...

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Bannockburn Capital Markets | Monthly Update: May 2026

The global capital markets will enter May with a sense of transition rather than resolution. Neither the Federal Reserve, nor the European Central Bank or the Bank of Japan meet in the month ahead. The market is inclined to see the third consecutive hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia but the other G10 central banks that meet in May, Norway's Norges Bank and Sweden's Riksbank are mostly likely to stand pat.  The aggressive tightening cycle that investors had penciled...

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ECB | European Central Bank Signs Agreements With European Standard Setters to Facilitate Digital Euro Payments

European Card Payment Cooperation (ECPC), nexo standards and Berlin Group to work with ECB to implement digital euro Standards to allow European payment solutions to minimise costs, expand geographical reach and diversify use cases Adoption of the digital euro regulation by co-legislators to unlock potential and provide certainty for market actors’ future investments in payments The European Central Bank (ECB) has signed agreements with three European standard‑setting organisations – ECPC, nexo standards and the Berlin Group – to reuse...

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EDPB | Marking 10 years of the GDPR: the Evolution of the European Data Protection Landscape

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the GDPR’s adoption, the first comprehensive data protection framework spanning an entire continent, establishing clear rights for individuals and obligations for organisations across Europe. The moment that led to the creation of the EDPB The GDPR led to the establishment of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) on 25 May 2018, replacing the Article 29 Working Party that was previously in charge of dealing with issues relating to the protection of personal data. The GDPR gave the Data...

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European Parliament | EU Institutions Agree Roadmap to Achieve “One Europe, One Market” by End of 2027

The Presidents of the European Parliament, Council and Commission signed a Joint Declaration committing to achieve the “One Europe, One Market” roadmap. On the sidelines of the Informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Cyprus, the President of the Republic of Cyprus as the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission, signed the “One Europe, One Market Roadmap”. This agreement demonstrates the resolve of the...

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EIB | EIB Group accelerates Europe’s Clean Energy Drive as Part of €10 Billion in New Financing

EIB Group Boards approve €2 billion to reinforce Europe’s energy autonomy. Focus on renewables, energy savings and grid upgrades. European Investment Fund unlocks more financing for Europe’s tech leadership and competitiveness. The Boards of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group approved a total of €10 billion in financing, including almost €2 billion for initiatives to expand Europe’s clean energy investments, ensure affordability and bolster competitiveness. The Board of the EIB endorsed loans to support the production of offshore wind power...

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