In its 2015 Trade for All communication, the Commission committed itself to report annually on the implementation of the European Union's (EU) most significant trade agreements. This is now the third report on this matter. This report provides an update on the implementation of 35 major trade agreements with 62 partners, including the first full year report on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). In addition, the report describes the work undertaken prior to the entry into force of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.
In recent times many people have questioned the ability of trade policy to harness globalisation and support people and businesses in the EU and beyond. So obtaining the maximum benefit from the EU's free trade agreements (FTAs) is one of the Commission's key objectives. With this in mind, the trade Communication "Trade for All" emphasised the importance of implementing and enforcing FTAs effectively. It committed the Commission to producing an annual FTA Implementation Report, of which this is the first edition. The main purpose of this report is to ensure transparency. It highlights progress as well as problems and shortcomings. In so doing, it should enable the other EU institutions, civil society and everyone with a stake in EU trade policy to scrutinise and debate the way in which the EU is putting its FTAs into practice. The Commission also seeks to work more closely with the other EU institutions, EU Member States, business and non-business organisations in gathering further ideas on making FTAs more effective. And it aims to find ways to help businesses across the EU and in partner countries to make better use of them. Currently there is no comprehensive overview of the implementation of all EU FTAs. But annual reporting is carried out for some of them. This report builds on existing practices. It seeks to be comprehensive and to continue monitoring and sharing information about the EU's work to apply its FTAs.
This is the Commission's first consolidated report on trade implementation and enforcement actions. It follows the appointment of the first Chief Trade Enforcement Officer in the Commission on 24 July 2020, to oversee and direct the effective implementation and enforcement of EU trade agreements and arrangements, with an explicit mandate to report to the European Parliament as well as to the Council of the European Union and the public. This report, which will be published annually, is the main instrument for doing so. The report consolidates the former yearly report on the implementation of EU trade agreements and its staff working document, as well as the former yearly trade and investment barriers report, into one. It contains information on activities undertaken by the Commission in partnership with Member States under the strategy to improve market access and help SMEs make the most of EU trade agreements, and demonstrates how the Commission works with civil society. It also reports on trade enforcement actions taken by the Commission under the dispute settlement mechanisms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), under bilateral trade agreements and under the EU's Trade Barriers Regulation. Finally, the report provides statistical data on trade and investment for the 37 main EU trade agreements from 2020 (on goods) and 2019 (on services) and covers significant developments up to the end of the second quarter of 2021. As the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement only entered into force on 1 May 2021 (provisionally applied as of 1 January), it will be covered by the 2022 edition of this report.
This timely book investigates the EU’s multi-faceted development as a global actor, unpacking its legal mission to be a ‘good’ actor as well as exploring the complexities of fulfilling this objective. It elicits critical reflections on the question of ‘goodness’ in EU external relations from descriptive, analytical and normative perspectives, and examines which metrics of actorness are useful in tackling this subject.
This report provides an update of 36 of the EU's major trade agreements with 65 trading partners. The agreements cover 91% of EU trade with preferential partners and account for 30.4% of EU total external trade. The report highlights the implementation of EU agreements in Asia, the Americas, the EU's neighbouring countries (Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood countries and Western Balkans) and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. In addition to sections on trade and sustainable development, agri-food trade and small and medium-sized businesses, this year's report includes a separate section on services, investment, public procurement and intellectual property rights. The accompanying Staff Working Document consists of 36 country information sheets. It looks at how effectively agreements are being implemented, provides statistics and has an update on the implementation of the European Commission's 15-point action plan on trade and sustainable development.
The Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is hailed as the gold standard for trade agreements. It addresses tariffs on traded goods, favoured status for EU and Canadian exporters, trade in services, and technical barriers to trade, while also seeking coordination between government agencies to promote regulatory cooperation, harmonization, and mutual recognition of standards. As the world retreats towards populism and protectionism, CETA Implementation and Implications provides a vital examination of this contemporary economic collaboration between developed states, which serves as a model for other progressive regional trade agreements. This book offers the first in-depth, comprehensive assessment of CETA, covering many of its most important elements and exploring its obstacles, accomplishments, and early effects. Based on the European Commission-funded Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Project on CETA Implementation and Implications, which linked scholars and stakeholders across Europe and North America to analyze and evaluate the implementation and impacts of the agreement, this book covers regulation, procurement, the environment, the innovative investment disputes system, labour mobility and labour relations, bilateral governance instruments, and the implications for EU trade policy of CETA’s contested ratification. Uniquely interdisciplinary and featuring contributors from around the world, CETA Implementation and Implications provides a nuanced and balanced assessment of this landmark trade agreement and its effects on regional and global trade in turbulent times.
This handbook provides comprehensive and expert analysis of the impact of the Brexit process and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on existing and future EU–UK relations within the context of both EU and international law. Examining the wider international law implications, it additionally assesses the complex legal consequences of Brexit for both the EU and the UK in their dealings with third states and other international organizations. With contributions from renowned specialists in the field of EU external action, each chapter will analyse specific policy areas to address key challenges arising from the Brexit process for the EU and the UK and propose solutions to overcome these problems. The handbook aims to fill a gap in research by assessing the consequences of Brexit under EU external relations law and international law. As such, it is hoped it will set the research agenda for coming years on the international dimension of Brexit. The Routledge Handbook on the International Dimension of Brexit is an authoritative and essential reference text for scholars and students of international and European/EU law and policy, EU politics, and British Politics and Brexit, as well as of key relevance to legal practitioners involved in Brexit, governments, policy-makers, civil society organizations, think tanks, practitioners, national parliaments and the Court of Justice.
This volume offers a critical inquiry into the ever-evolving notion of cultural heritage and the way it has been made accessible, governed, and protected by the institutional, operational, and legal structures of the European Union.
