Summary : With 23 participating countries, including all of the world’s largest financial centres, covering the vast bulk of global financial services trade, the TiSA negotiations on financial services trade are strategically important for the EU. They are likely to deliver commitments and rules, which go significantly beyond the GATS package negotiated over two decades ago – and to extend their umbrella to a greater range of countries. In addition, the level of market access commitments ultimately incorporated into TiSA will set a new benchmark and reference point for future EU FTA negotiations. Depending on the outcome of remaining negotiations, the TiSA may also establish influential new and consolidated texts on such matters as data transfer, forced localisation, source code, regulatory transparency, and domestic regulation.

Authors : Andrew LANG and Leonie AMARASEKARA

Bodies : International trade, Foreign affairs, Internal market and consumer protection

Summary : The perception of the present state of trade relations with Chile is obscured by a lack of adequate understanding of its legal framework as well as of the policy behind it. This study attempts to clarify the present state of and future prospects for trade between the EU and Chile through an examination of previous agreements and the EU’s new approach to trade liberalisation. The authors agree with the large consensus existing on both the EU and Chilean sides regarding the efficacy of the Association Agreement, but note that any extension of an agreement with Chile should capture the spirit of older EU agreements rather than simply following the ‘NAFTA route’. The study also includes a comparative analysis between the EU-Chile agreement and current trade agreements being negotiated by the EU and Chile with third countries.

Authors : Rodrigo Polanco

Bodies : International trade

Summary : EFTA states have built up a network of 26 preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with 37 partners, compared to more than 120 trade agreements concluded by the EU with more than 45 partners. There are substantial differences between EU and EFTA PTAs in terms of scope and ambition. EFTA agreements still focus on traditional areas of market access, while the post-1990 EU agreements are more elaborate, values-driven, political and comprehensive. As a bloc, the EU has more leverage when it negotiates around the world. The size of its market and its highly developed common policies mean that the EU can bring more to the negotiating table and has stronger tools to enforce its economic interests and political conditions compared to the smaller EFTA states whose political and economic cooperation is limited. Although the EFTA states do not form a customs union like the EU, they usually negotiate PTAs as a group, bringing their combined economic and political weight to bear. However, they retain the right to reach bilateral trade agreements with third countries outside the EFTA framework, such as Switzerland's PTAs with Japan and China, and Iceland's bilateral PTA with China. EFTA's small size nonetheless has some benefits. Since EFTA states are not so constrained by — often diverging — interests they can be more flexible in their negotiations. In some cases EFTA has concluded trade deals relatively quickly compared to the EU, but this has been at the expense of relatively shallow trade agreements.

Authors : Andreas MAURER

Bodies : International trade

Summary : The case is made paper maintains that the EU-Turkey CU of 1995 covering industrial goods should be modernised and modified to take into account the various and growing criticisms of the original CU. Furthermore, economic integration between the EU and Turkey should be strengthened by signing a complementary deep integration regional trade agreement (RTA) between the EU and Turkey, covering agriculture, SPS measures, services, government procurement, investment, and dispute settlement. For Turkey, the objective would be to achieve comprehensive liberalisation, while for the EU this is an ideal opportunity to harness the economic and political potential of deeper integration with Turkey, in line with its wider trade and investment policy.

Authors : Kamala Dawar (University of Sussex, the UK) and Sübidey Togan (Center for International Economics, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey)

Bodies : Industry, research and energy, Internal market and consumer protection, Fisheries, Transport and tourism, International trade, Agriculture and rural development, Foreign affairs

Summary : A Workshop on Tailor-made support for SMEs towards effective implementation of the EU's trade and investment strategy took place in the European Parliament on 17 February 2016. Professor Blackburn gave an analysis on SME internationalisation and policy interventions, and representatives of SMEs shared their experiences in this field.

Authors : Robert BLACKBURN

Bodies : International trade, Internal market and consumer protection, Employment and social affairs

Summary : The 1997 Global Agreement between the EC and its Member States and Mexico, together with the set of decisions taken in its framework, has been effective, and thus modifications of the agreement are mainly motivated by changes in the global landscape since it was first enacted. Therefore, broad considerations on how the European Union (EU) trade policy is shaped are extremely relevant for the upcoming negotiations with Mexico. In this context, the needs and expectations, both from the EU and Mexico, regarding any further agreements are examined, focusing in particular on areas beyond trade in goods and services such as procurement, investment, and regulatory cooperation. It is argued that the 'old' Association Agreements should be taken as models for any modifications, given their emphasis on EU-specific issues and their ability to accommodate the needs of Mexico in any deepened agreement.

Bodies : International trade

Summary : The EU is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights sets out all the personal, civic, political, economic and social rights enjoyed by people in the EU. This leaflet provides extracts from relevant supporting analyses prepared by European Parliament’s policy departments for different EP's committees.

Bodies : Women's Rights and Gender Equality, Constitutional affairs, Human rights, Petitions, Development, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, International trade, Budgetary Control

Summary : TTIP aims to eliminate customs tariffs on goods, to open markets in services, to create investment opportunities and to increase access to transatlantic public procurement tenders. It is planned that TTIP should also include a chapter on investment protection – one of its controversial aspects. This leaflet provides extracts from relevant supporting analyses prepared by European Parliament’s policy departments for different EP's committees.

Bodies : Industry, research and energy, Employment and social affairs, Environment, public health and food safety, Agriculture and rural development, Economic and monetary affairs, International trade, Internal market and consumer protection

Summary : The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.

Bodies : Regional Development, Industry, research and energy, International trade, Budgets, Petitions