Chapter News

Brexit News, Chapter News

Brexit News: British PM May Calls for Early Election to Strengthen Brexit Hand

  By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James | LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Tuesday for an early election on June 8, saying she needed to strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union by bolstering support for her Brexit plan. Standing outside her Downing Street office, May said she had been reluctant to ask parliament to back her move to bring forward the poll from 2020. But, after thinking "long and hard" during a walking...

Read more

Chapter News

Imports of Organic Products: New EU Electronic Certification System

A new system of electronic certification to better monitor imports of organic products becomes applicable tomorrow. The EU becomes a global leader in traceability and in the collection of reliable data on trade of organic products The new electronic certification system will contribute to enhancing food safety provisions and reducing potential fraud. It will also reduce the administrative burden for operators and authorities, and provide much more comprehensive statistical data on organic imports. Both paper and e-certification will be used during a...

Read more

Chapter News

E-privacy: MEPs Look at New Rules to Safeguard your Personal Details Online

The EU could soon have new privacy rules to take account of new practices such as internet-based messaging and allow users better control of their privacy settings, especially when it comes to cookies. Parliament's civil liberties committee discussed the plans by the European Commission on 11 April. Marju Lauristin, the MEP responsible for steering the rules through Parliament, said that if companies providing communication services wanted to be trusted they needed to ensure confidentiality. Most Europeans continue to value their...

Read more

Chapter News

Building a More Resilient and Inclusive Global Economy

Lagarde: Thank you, Jean-Claude Trichet and Guntram Wolff, for your kind introductions. And thank you to Bruegel for hosting this event here at the wonderful Bibliothèque Solvay. As I experience this beautiful building, it reminds me that good architecture is not about geometry or design in the first instance—it is about fostering human relationships in private and in public spaces. I hear about this often from my son who is an architect—and I also thought about it when reading about the...

Read more

Brexit News, Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Europe Is Still a Superpower

Europe Is Not Only Still a Superpower: it's going to remain one for decades to come. By Andrew Moravcsik | Foreign Policy Magazine | April 13, 2017 Sixty years after the Treaty of Rome, many view Europe as a spent force in global politics. Conventional wisdom states that world politics today is unipolar, with the United States as the sole superpower. Or perhaps it is multipolar, with China, India, and the rest rising to challenge Western powers. Either way, Europe’s role...

Read more

Chapter News, Uncategorized

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Announces Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework is Open for Business

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the newly launched Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework is now accepting self-certifications. The Framework provides companies a mechanism to comply with Swiss data protection requirements when transferring personal data from Switzerland to the United States in support of transatlantic commerce. “The Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework supports U.S. economic growth by ensuring that Swiss and American businesses can transfer data and deliver innovative online products and services under enhanced data protection,” said Secretary Ross. “It...

Read more

Chapter News

Werner Hoyer: Multilateralism Crucial for a Functioning Global Economy

Europe faces considerable challenges, EIB President Werner Hoyer warned in his speech at the Columbia University in New York on 10 April 2017. “Brexit confirmed the severity of the disenchantment,” said President Hoyer. “Some European citizens may have taken for granted the Union and some of the values it represents.” But multilateralism remains crucial for a functioning global economy in his view. “Going forward, an important factor will be the strength of multilateral institutions”, he said and called for equal...

Read more

Chapter News, News

Trade recovery expected in 2017 and 2018, amid policy uncertainty

Growth in the volume of world merchandise trade is expected to rebound this year from its tepid performance in 2016, but only if the global economy recovers as expected and governments pursue the right policy mix, WTO economists reported. The WTO is forecasting that global trade will expand by 2.4% in 2017; however, as deep uncertainty about near-term economic and policy developments raise the forecast risk, this figure is placed within a range of 1.8% to 3.6%. In 2018, the...

Read more

Chapter News

MEPs Propose Cutting Food Waste

Environment MEPs put forward a number of possible measures to cut the EU 88 million tonnes per year food waste by half by 2030 on Tuesday. MEPs called on the European Commission to lift existing restrictions on food donations and stressed a solution is needed for the confusion created for many consumers by the “best before” and “use by” labelling. “In developed countries food is wasted mostly at the end of the chain, at distribution and consumption. Everyone has a...

Read more

Chapter News

Republic of Moldova: European Council Agrees to €100 Million in Financial Assistance

On 12 April 2017, EU ambassadors agreed the Council's negotiating stance on macro-financial assistance for the Republic of Moldova. Up to €100 million is proposed in EU assistance, of which €60 million in loans and €40 million in the form of grants. It would supplement resources provided by the IMF and other multilateral institutions. The assistance would be aimed at supporting the country's economic stabilisation and structural reform agenda, helping to cover its external financing needs over the coming two years. Ambassadors asked the presidency to...

Read more