Finance & Trade

Pro-Brexit Economists Call for Tariff Removal

July 20, 2016

A group of economists in favor of the UK's vote to leave the EU have called for the UK to take advantage of its departure from the bloc to spur economic growth by unilaterally dismantling all of its international trade barriers.
Article Proposes Brexit Negotiation Strategy

July 18, 2016

Following the earlier-than-expected transition of the position of UK Prime Minister to Theresa May, Juliet Samuel of The Telegraph sets out a strategy for the British leader to initiate informal talks on subjects such as security and justice with EU leaders prior to triggering the formal procedure for leaving the EU.
UK Initiates Post-EU Bilateral Trade Talks

July 18, 2016

In the aftermath of the UK vote to leave the EU, British officials have announced that they are launching preliminary talks with India for a bilateral trade deal and that they will likely target the US, China, Japan, and South Korea in upcoming trade discussions.
EU: National Parliaments Must Approve Canada Deal

July 12, 2016

Sending a warning sign for negotiations of future EU trade deals, including with the US, Politico reports that the European Commission is now requiring that nearly 40 national and regional legislative assemblies across the EU ratify the EU-Canada trade agreement before the deal can come into force.
EU Official Denies Flexibility in "Single Market" Access

July 12, 2016

Following a meeting with leaders of the EU member states, European Council President Donald Tusk denied that, following negotiations over Brexit, the UK will retain access to the bloc's "single market" unless it accepts the EU's "four freedoms," including freedom of movement.
UK, EU Face Array of Post-Brexit Trade Options

July 11, 2016

An article in Reuters highlights an array of options available to the UK as it begins negotiating its future trade relationship with the EU following Brexit and quotes remarks from Open Europe's Pieter Cleppe that the EU will become more flexible on the terms of the UK's exit as the deadline for a new deal approaches.
French PM Rejects Possibility of TTIP

June 30, 2016

Predicting that the agreement will not "respect EU interests," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has rejected the possibility that the EU and US will conclude their Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal.
EU Creates Audit Oversight Body

June 29, 2016

In new rules on statutory auditing practices that recently came into effect, the EU has created the Committee of European Auditing Oversight Bodies to facilitate the coordination and harmonization of auditing practices throughout the bloc.
Cleppe Calls on EU to Abandon Protectionism

June 28, 2016

Pieter Cleppe of the think tank Open Europe writes that the EU should not let its aluminum tariffs, which he asserts harm small and medium-sized enterprises, signal expanding trade protectionism across the bloc's essential industries that would reduce its overall competitiveness.
Dutch Minister Questions Application of EU Budget Rules

June 16, 2016

Following European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's statement that the EU had given France more leeway than other countries in enforcing budget rules "because it is France," Dutch Minister of Finance Jeroen Dijsselbloem expressed concerns before a committee of the European Parliament about the fair application of EU fiscal regulations.