EU will avoid new Russia sanctions as long as it can

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Parliament ◽  
Legal Action ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nord Stream ◽  
Eu Support ◽  
The Eu

Subject EU responses to Russian actions around Ukraine. Significance EU sanctions imposed in 2014 remain in place owing to continuing concerns about Russian interference in elections, the poison attack on former spy Sergey Skripal and covert Russian activities in Ukraine and elsewhere. However, the EU has resisted pressure to take immediate action after the Kerch Straits incident, in which Russian coast guards captured three Ukrainian naval vessels. Impacts The US position on sanctions currently mirrors EU restraint, but Washington would be forced to act by blatant Russian aggression. Ukraine will call for EU support while using legal action in an attempt to hamper Gazprom's alternative gas export routes. European Parliament resolutions condemning Nord Stream 2 will have little impact on German support for the project.

TTIP, CETA, and TiSA Behind Closed Doors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Delimatsis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Eu

Secrecy and informality rather than transparency traditionally reign trade negotiations at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels. Yet, transparency ranks among the most basic desiderata in the grammar of global governance and has been regarded as positively related to legitimacy. In the EU’s case, transparent trade diplomacy is quintessential for constitutional—but also for broader political—reasons. First, even if trade matters fall within the EU’s exclusive competence, the EU executive is bound by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to inform the European Parliament, the EU co-legislator, in regular intervals. Second, transparency at an early stage is important to address public reluctance, suspicion, or even opposition regarding a particular trade deal. This chapter chronicles the quest for and turning moments relating to transparency during the EU trade negotiations with Canada (CETA); the US (TTIP), and various WTO members on services (TiSA).

The international strength of the euro will grow

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Euro Area ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Domestic Demand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Dollar ◽  
Strategic Autonomy ◽  
Geopolitical Risks ◽  
The Eu

Significance The proposals identified areas where the euro could potentially become more dominant, such as the issuance of green bonds, digital currencies, and international trade in raw materials and energy. Ambitions to enhance the international leverage of the euro are being driven by the aim to strengthen EU strategic autonomy amid rising geopolitical risks. Impacts Developing its digital finance sector would be an opportunity for the EU to enhance its strategic autonomy in financial services. Challenging the US dollar would require the euro-area to rebalance its economy away from foreign to domestic demand. Member state division will prevent the economic reconfiguration the euro-area needed to make the euro a truly global currency.

Russia's Baltic pipeline nearly ready but risks remain

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Content Type ◽  
Bilateral Agreement ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nord Stream ◽  
The Way

Significance Despite this, Biden indicated no change in the US position after a bilateral agreement with Germany effectively paved the way to completing the pipeline. Technically, Nord Stream 2 could begin partially operating in October. Impacts The recent spike in European gas prices to levels unseen since 2008 reinforces the case for Nord Stream 2's speedy completion. EU energy diversification, with a focus on renewables, poses long-term questions about the viability of both the Nord Stream pipelines. From October, Hungary will switch to Gazprom gas supplied via Serbia and Austria instead of through Ukrainian pipelines.

June summits signal progress on EU-US trade ties

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Taxation ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Security Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transatlantic Cooperation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Nord Stream ◽  
High Level ◽  
Two Sides

Significance The two sides have suspended tariffs arising from their dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing, are working on an international deal on corporate taxation and have established a high-level council to discuss issues at the nexus of security, technology and trade. Impacts A major aim of closer transatlantic cooperation is better coordination of policies with respect to China. Closer transatlantic cooperation over China might soften US opposition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It will be difficult for the US government to pass legislation concerning trade given the Democrats' precarious majority in both houses.

European Parliament vote will raise more TTIP doubts

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transatlantic Trade ◽  
Eu Membership ◽  
Deep Integration ◽  
Economic Ties ◽  
Trade Deals ◽  
Trade And Investment ◽  
The Eu

Subject The European Parliament and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Significance The last-minute decision of the European Parliament (EP) to postpone a June 10 debate and vote on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has exposed important divisions among its members (MEPs) over whether and how closer EU-US economic ties can be secured. While non-binding at this stage, the debate and vote would have provided important guidance to the European Commission on its priorities and room for manoeuvre as it engages in further negotiations with the United States. TTIP must ultimately be ratified by the EP, which has voted down international agreements in the past. Impacts The EP's difficulties in finalising its views could constrain the Commission in the TTIP negotiations. However, given the EP's ultimate veto over the deal, time spent now on hammering out an ISDS formula it could accept may not be wasted. Any rejection of TTIP, particularly over ISDS, could raise questions over future international trade deals premised on deep integration. TTIP rejection could even jeopardise concluded trade deals awaiting ratification, such as that between the EU and Canada. Progress on TTIP is among the measures sought by UK Prime Minister David Cameron before his EU membership referendum.

ECJ ruling further dims EU-US data protection outlook

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Data Storage ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transatlantic Trade ◽  
Data Flows ◽  
The Us ◽  
Trade And Investment ◽  
The Eu

Significance The ECJ ruling could add to potential disruptions to transatlantic commercial data flows arising from the EU's developing data protection regime that a study for the US Chamber of Commerce valued at 0.8-1.3% of EU GDP. The ruling weakens the United States in negotiations over the new EU regime, as well as over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Impacts The ruling may bolster development of EU-based cloud facilities as EU users seek to avoid the risks of US-based data storage. This could reduce US firms' estimated 76% share of the EU cloud market. It would also lead to further fragmentation of the internet as a global resource.

Airbus-Boeing WTO tax dispute will benefit rivals

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Tax Incentives ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Export Credit ◽  
Local Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Incentive ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Eu

Subject WTO ruling against Boeing over tax incentives. Significance The WTO ruled on November 28 that Boeing received unfair subsidies as part of an 8.7-billion-dollar tax incentive package passed by the US state of Washington in 2013 for development of the 777X airliner. Boeing’s European rival Airbus hailed the “knockout ruling”, and the French finance ministry argued that the EU could institute “retaliatory measures” should US authorities fail to remove the support. Impacts The Washington state legislature is likely to pull the local production provisions in exchange for an informal agreement with Boeing. Airbus could gain an export credit edge should the US Export-Import Bank’s charter lapse again in 2019 due to Republican opposition. Tighter US restrictions on Iran sales or protectionist steps against China or the Gulf from the new administration would hit both companies.

EU corruption fight passes to civil society and media

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Groups ◽  
The Political ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Media ◽  
Roll Back ◽  
The Eu

Subject The non-appearance of an expected EU anti-corruption report. Significance The European Commission’s cancellation of its second report on anti-corruption efforts across member-states and EU institutions removes a key benchmark against which to hold European governments to account at a time when several are attempting to roll back anti-corruption reforms and disable checks and balances. Given the political sensitivity of the first report, the move also feeds populist criticisms that the EU itself is prone to corruption and unwilling to expose itself to scrutiny. Impacts Populist governments appear to be learning from one another that they can remove limits on their power. This will allow interest groups to entrench their political and economic dominance, hindering economic growth in the long run. The US president’s attacks on parts of the media for ‘fake news’ may encourage use of anti-establishment rhetoric to discredit critics.

Turkey’s Syrian goals will deepen the US breach

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Full Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
The Us ◽  
Defence Procurement ◽  
Far Eastern ◽  
The Eu

Significance Erdogan’s New York meetings will include discussions of the troubled US-Turkish relationship. When a jailed US pastor returns to court in October on espionage charges, Turkey could step back and perhaps take some heat out of bilateral relations by releasing him. However, the chance of a full recovery in relations seems to have passed. Impacts Turkey will further diversify defence procurement outside NATO. Better relations with Germany and the EU will counterbalance worsening US ties. Tourism will recover, switching to Russian and Far Eastern visitors.

Thai-US diplomatic and economic links will repair

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Military Coup ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
State Cooperation ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Section 301

Significance This is the first visit to Washington by a Thai prime minister since 2005. Thai-US relations have been much cooler since the mid-2014 military coup that Prayuth, as an army general, led to depose Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The visit, therefore, had high symbolism. It was also controversial because Trump is warming ties with a coup leader who has instituted a new constitution that will weaken elected government in Thailand after the next election, which Prayuth told Trump would take place in 2018. Impacts Thailand’s election could be delayed to 2019: two of the required pre-poll ‘organic laws’ will not be passed until end-2018. Thai intellectual property protections will likely be strengthened to avoid sanctions under the US Trade Act’s Section 301. Thai-US anti-Islamic State cooperation will likely be slow to build, partly given southern Thailand’s Muslim-Buddhist conflict. Thailand will push for enhanced trade ties with the EU and post-Brexit United Kingdom.

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