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trade policy

November 8, 2023

Prospects for a Mercosur-EU Association Agreement grow dimmer

Juan Cruz Díaz Long-running negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur, aimed at forming an Association Agreement and liberalising trade, have faced numerous hurdles. As the December deadline for signature approaches, doubts loom over the pact’s future, write Juan Cruz Díaz and Carlos José Cruz Infante Read more

January 13, 2022

The EU narrative around trade with Vietnam

Camille Nessel EU trade policy is widely contested by the public. Their concern: the danger of prioritising neoliberal economic interests over citizens' human rights. Yet, write Camille Nessel and Elke Verhaeghe, the EU was able to avoid mass protest by creating an ethical narrative around its trade negotiations with authoritarian Vietnam Read more

January 4, 2022

The unmaking of developing countries' special rights in global trade politics

Till Schöfer So-called 'developing countries' enjoy special rights in world trade. But it is the countries themselves that decide whether they want developing-country status, undermining the legitimcy of the system. Till Schöfer and Clara Weinhardt suggest three ways out of the developed-developing country stalemate Read more

May 22, 2021

Vaccine prices may become a political powder keg

Felix Stein Taking health equity seriously during the pandemic requires some minimal degree of vaccine price control. Countries should make vaccine contract details public, specify a fair price, and outline how they plan to meet it, argues Felix Stein Read more

December 17, 2020

Deal or No Deal won’t change Brexit's impact on the long-term EU-UK relationship – which will still have to be forged

Martin Westlake EU-UK free trade talks will open the way for a bigger debate on their long-term relationship, writes Martin Westlake. The EU will have to recognise the UK’s exceptional status and the UK will have to accept it cannot completely escape the pull of the EU’s internal market. What that means is a continued important role for the UK to play in Europe Read more

December 8, 2020

China just co-created the world’s biggest trade block. So is China’s New World Order already here?

Matthew Stephen The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is only the latest of many new multilateral institutions created by China. An alternative to the American-led liberal international order looks increasingly viable, suggests Matthew Stephen Read more

November 27, 2020

A deal built to last post-Brexit? The sustainability of the new UK-EU relationship

Andrew Glencross A UK-EU free trade agreement can attenuate the sovereignty debate that spawned Brexit, writes Andrew Glencross. But Brexit will replace an institutionally robust relationship with one that is far more sensitive to public opinion and political partisanship Read more

November 25, 2020

The West is worried about Turkey’s drift towards Russia heralding the birth of a new strategic partnership. It needn’t be

Mehmet Bardakçı Despite the growing accord between Moscow and Ankara, a relationship that has grown ever closer over the past three decades, a new strategic partnership is unlikely to develop in the near future, writes Mehmet Bardakçı, due to significant differences over geostrategic interests, the lack of a mutual social base to the relationship, and the limited capacity of Russia as an economic partner Read more

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