ISDS Case Map
EU
European Union
EU ministers have formally approved negotiations with the Chinese government to strike a wide-ranging bilateral agreement protecting traditional food manufacturers in Europe and China from illicit copies of their products.
French Agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire reiterated Paris ‘strong rejection’ of European Union trade talks with Mercosur and said that Europe “is no dumping ground for Mercosur agriculture produce”.
The European Union hopes to reach an accord with South American trade bloc Mercosur by mid-2011 as negotiators iron out details on tough issues such as farm aid and intellectual property, the EU's trade chief Karel De Gucht said on Tuesday.
An EU source said all major stumbling blocs had been removed, making Italy's agreement on the multibillion dollar free trade deal likely.
Almost two years after the controversial and sweeping trade pact known as an Economic Partnership Agreement was signed between the European Union and the Caribbean Forum countries, a new study says the impact of the EPA has proved to be, as its proponents claimed, relatively mild.
There is considerable resistance within European agriculture circles to a free trade agreement with Mercosur. Fourteen EU farm ministers, members of the EU Parliament, as well as farm groups like Copa have all voiced reservations about such a FTA.
The Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Brussels on 10 September agreed on the need to put into place a common framework to develop the new EU competence in foreign direct investment granted by the Treaty of Lisbon.
European Union ministers meeting on Monday gave Italy until Thursday to decide whether it wants to confirm its veto on a free-trade agreement with South Korea, diplomats told the German Press Agency dpa.
European partners scrambled on Monday to convince Italy to drop its opposition to a trade deal with South Korea ahead of an EU summit, as Rome fretted about the impact on its vital auto industry.
A hoped-for green light from the European Council, which comprises 27 member-states, was not forthcoming on Friday, as EU trade ministers met to try and break the deadlock.
