The European Commission has today adopted proposals for negotiating directives for its trade talks with the United States: one on conformity assessment, and one on the elimination of tariffs for industrial goods. These negotiations follow the Joint Statement agreed by President Juncker and President Trump last July.  As part of its commitment to transparency, the European Commission is publishing the draft mandates at the same time as submitting them to the EU Member States. The Member States must now give their green light...

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This week (January 7th-13th), EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström spoke at the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. about the current international trade landscape. In her speech, Malmström pointed out the importance of reforming the WTO, in order to maintain the effectiveness of the system. “International trade without the WTO would be anarchic. Countries would be bullied, companies would fall victim to unfair practices – there would be no reliability, no stability. So we need to repair and stand up for the...

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Geneva, 17/12/2018 - 13:27, UNIQUE ID: 181217_10 | Statements on behalf of the EU Chair, At the last Trade Policy Review of the United States two years ago, a month before President Trump was sworn into office, I ended the EU statement with the hope that the protectionist rhetoric would end once the President-elect had taken office. Today, unfortunately, rhetoric has turned into reality and the repercussions of tariffs and other restrictions are being felt at the heart of this organisation,...

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“The Euro at 20 Conference” — Dublin, Ireland June 25, 2018 As prepared for delivery Introduction Thank you, Philip, for that very kind introduction. It is a pleasure to welcome all of you to “The Euro at 20” conference jointly organized by the Central Bank of Ireland and the IMF. We meet at a moment when the EU and euro area are in the midst of difficult decisions about their future. Populist movements — from Brexit to the recent Italian elections — have called into...

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The US announced that starting on 1 June 2018 it will impose additional duties of 25 % and 10 % respectively on imports of steel and aluminium from the EU. President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker said: "I am concerned by this decision. The EU believes these unilateral US tariffs are unjustified and at odds with World Trade Organisation rules. This is protectionism, pure and simple. Over the past months we have continuously engaged with the US at all possible levels to...

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