Finance & Trade

EU Agency Seeks Bolstering of Crypto-assets Regulation

January 16, 2019

The European Securities and Markets Authority has published advice asserting that the reach of the bloc’s current financial regulatory framework does not reach certain “crypto-assets” and that EU institutions are best-placed to plug the gaps in the regulation of such assets on an EU-wide basis.
Lawyer Points to Enhanced Equivalence as Brexit Alternative

January 16, 2019

Barnabas Reynolds of the law firm Shearman & Sterling argues that a system of enhanced equivalence agreed between the UK and EU would offer both sides the benefits of continued frictionless trade in the services sector and would be a viable way forward after Parliament’s defeat of Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal deal.
MPs Outline Alternative EU-UK Brexit Path

January 15, 2019

A group of 23 Conservative Members of the UK Parliament published a press release upon the House of Commons’ rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal outlining how the government could proceed with negotiations, by offering the EU a free trade deal and preparing to leave the bloc without a withdrawal agreement at the end of March.
EU Bans “Unfair” Supermarket Trading Practices

January 11, 2019

The activist organization Oxfam has applauded new EU rules prohibiting supermarkets from using “unfair trading practices,” such as unilateral changes to orders and to supply agreements, in their dealings with food suppliers inside and outside the EU.
UK, Switzerland Agree Post-Brexit Trade Deal

January 09, 2019

The UK government and the Swiss Federal Council have agreed, subject to approval by the countries’ parliaments, to implement a transitional free-trade agreement after Brexit that largely replicates the current trade arrangements between the two countries.
EU Official: “No-Deal Brexit” Would Require Germany to Plug Budget Hole

January 08, 2019

Deutsche Welle reports that European Commissioner for the budget Günther Oettinger has warned that Britain’s and the EU’s failure to approve a withdrawal deal would require the German government to pay hundreds of millions of euros extra into the EU budget to cover the funding gap produced by Brexit.
EU Investment Bank Issues “Green Loan” to Spanish Utility

January 08, 2019

In December, the European Investment Bank issued its first “Green Loan,” totaling 335 million euros, to Spanish electric utility company Endesa to fund the construction of 15 wind farms and 3 photovoltaic plants, as the development bank ramps up its efforts to advance the EU’s strategy to combat global warming.
Expert Offers Alternative to Brexit Deal on Irish Border

December 26, 2018

Shanker Singham of the Institute of Economic Affairs offers an alternative to the current “backstop” agreed by the British government and the EU on the Irish border, replacing rules requiring perpetual adherence of the UK to EU trade rules with a “front stop” aimed at securing a long-term free trade agreement on goods and agri-food.
EC Seeks to Promote Euro as Global Currency

December 14, 2018

The European Commission (EC) has published a recommendation pushing for EU institutions to do more to bolster the global role of the euro, particularly in the energy sector, including by providing for further EU financial integration to raise trust in the currency.
EC Pledges Millions in “Sustainability” Funding in Central Asia

December 12, 2018

In November, the European Commission (EC) announced a “sustainable development” cooperation program through which it would provide EUR 124 million in funding for Central Asia to promote economic development and combat global warming.