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Sustainability provisions in EU free trade agreements: Review of the European Commission action plan
Sustainability-related provisions are a key part of international trade negotiations. Since the free trade agreement (FTA) signed with South Korea in 2009, EU trade deals each include dedicated trade and sustainable development (TSD) chapters encompassing issues such as environment, labour rights, climate change and responsible business conduct. In an effort to step up implementation and enforcement of these chapters, in 2018 the Commission published a non-paper setting out a 15-point action plan ...
World Trade Organization TRIPS waiver to tackle coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has rekindled the global debate on whether the multilateral trade regime for intellectual property rights (IPR) protection limits access to essential medical products. Despite embedded flexibilities in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), India and South Africa, co-sponsored by a large number of developing countries, submitted an initial proposal for a temporary waiver in response to Covid-19 in October 2020, ...
Trade policy for the Biodiversity Strategy 2030
International trade influences biodiversity through scale, composition and technique effects. Land and sea use change alter natural habitats, while emissions from production and transportation contribute to climate change. Among exports, animal-based agri-food products are particularly land-intensive. Trade policy can play a role in tackling these problems through stronger enforcement of biodiversity-related provisions in trade agreements. The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 commits to better assessing ...
International trade dispute settlement: WTO Appellate Body crisis and the multiparty interim appeal arrangement
When disputes arise in international trade, they can be settled with binding rulings under international trade or investment agreements. For World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, members can launch such disputes through the two-step WTO dispute settlement mechanism. The European Union (EU) also includes similar dispute settlement provisions in its trade agreements. The United States' blockage of appointments to the WTO Appellate Body, the highest instance of the WTO dispute settlement, plunged ...
Die Klimaschutzpolitik der EU: Reaktion auf den weltweiten Notstand
Die Europäische Union strebt mit dem europäischen Grünen Deal an, bis 2050 klimaneutral zu werden. Dieses Ziel wird von allen EU-Organen unterstützt. Damit übernimmt die EU eine führende Rolle bei der Bekämpfung des Klimanotstands. Um das Ziel der Klimaneutralität zu erreichen, sind enorme Investitionen und eine beispiellose Umgestaltung aller Wirtschaftszweige erforderlich. In der vorliegenden Studie werden die physikalischen Ursachen des Klimawandels sowie dessen voraussichtliche Folgen für die ...
WTO rules: Compatibility with human and labour rights
Supply chains are increasingly international, but many of EU's trade partners fail to meet both the labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and international human rights norms. EU trade policy is designed to ensure that economic development complies with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, while upholding human rights and high labour standards. WTO rules require members to comply with a set of basic free trading principles, in particular national treatment and most-favoured ...
Das Handels- und Kooperationsabkommen zwischen der Europäischen Union und dem Vereinigten Königreich: Analytischer Überblick
Mit dieser Veröffentlichung möchte der EPRS einen analytischen Überblick über das Handels- und Kooperationsabkommen (TCA) zwischen der Europäischen Union (EU) und dem Vereinigten Königreich (VK) bieten, das am 24. Dezember 2020 zwischen den beiden Vertragsparteien vereinbart und am 30. Dezember 2020 von ihnen unterzeichnet wurde und seit dem 1. Januar 2021 vorläufig angewandt wird. Derzeit wird das Abkommen vom Europäischen Parlament geprüft, das darüber abstimmen muss, ob es seine Zustimmung dafür ...
Verlangsamung oder Spurwechsel? Die Dynamik der „Slowbalisation“ verstehen
Die „Slowbalisation“ – verstanden als Verlangsamung der globalen Integration – soll nach der globalen Finanzkrise 2007-2008 begonnen haben. Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat zu einem weiteren dramatischen Rückgang des grenzüberschreitenden Waren-, Dienstleistungs-, Kapital- und Personenverkehrs geführt, dessen Umfang Kommentatoren dazu verleitete, von einer beginnenden Deglobalisierung zu sprechen. In dieser Studie wird untersucht, ob das als „Slowbalisation“ bezeichnete Phänomen ein Mythos oder eine Realität ...
US foreign policy after the 2020 Presidential election: Issues for the European Union
The election of the 46th President of the United States took place on 3 November 2020 amidst the unprecedented scenario of the coronavirus pandemic. Following several days of vote-counting, the democratic candidate, Joe Biden, secured the electoral votes needed to become the next President of the United States. His inauguration will take place on 20 January 2021. Domestic concerns, most notably the management of the coronavirus crisis and the economy, as well as racial issues, were the most important ...
EU-US dispute over civil aircraft subsidies
Since the 1980s onset of intensified sales competition between American and European civil aircraft manufacturers, aircraft trade has been a point of contention in transatlantic trade. Between 1992 and 2004, the Bilateral Agreement on Trade in Large Civil Aircraft regulated the permitted levels of support to aircraft manufacturers. In 2003, Europe's Airbus sold more large civil aircraft than United States-owned Boeing for the first time. The following year, the USA renounced the agreement and launched ...