EU-NZ FTA moves closer to entry into force
The announcement that the #europeancommission has submitted draft decisions on signature and conclusion to the #council indicates that legal scrubbing is complete and the authenticated text is ready for adoption by the EU!
Time to Re-think the EU – Africa Strategy? Exploring the 'sustainable' trade dimensions of the European Parliament’s proposal for a ‘new’ partnership
In March 2020, the EU launched its Africa Strategy, identifying “boosting trade and sustainable investments in Africa” as one of its priority action areas. The Strategy also states the Union will provide “political, technical and financial support for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement” and reaffirms the shared interest in “a stable, rules-based multilateral trading system centred on the World Trade Organisation”. Green growth, green finance and sustainable agriculture also feature prominently.
One year later (in March 2021), the European Parliament proposed a new EU-Africa partnership. Building on an own initiative report, the Parliament calls for adjustments in the light of the impacts of the coronavirus.
China’s ‘green’ trade credentials: what can we learn from a deeper dive?
China is talking the talk on climate change, but its buy-in to the ‘green trade’ narrative is more selective. It eschews many of the green trade tools favoured by the EU/US, its policies are closer aligned to developing countries and serve its regional interests. Still, it has its own tools to add to the global ‘green trade’ toolkit: green tech, green manufactured goods and improved efficiency of supply chains are potential contributions to a global ‘green trade’ strategy. As things stand, it looks set to follow its own path and has yet to set out what shade of ‘green’ it wants its future trading profile to be.
