What's up with the farmer's hoo-haa in Brussels? On the farmer's protests in Brussels this week.  #Mercosur #EUfarming Comment by John Clarke

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU leaders at their summit today that the Mercosur trade won't be signed as scheduled on Saturday and instead would wait until next month, two EU diplomats told POLITICO.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that if the trade agreement between the EU and the South American trade bloc Mercosur is not finalized this month, Brazil will no longer sign off on the deal. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

The Council presidency and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a regulation implementing the bilateral safeguard clause of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the EU-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement for agricultural products. www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

Mirror clauses did not make it into the final safeguard legislation for Mercosur - at least not as a condition for Mercosur exporters to the EU. The commission must issue a statement on aligning production standards. The question is: will this be enough to persuade everyone to sign the thing!

When trade deals were getting rushed through laden with impossible commitments and major issues to be negotiated later, I wrote about why they made me nervous. Womp womp, as the kids say. My full article: www.explaintrade.com/resources/im...

US/Switzerland & US/Liechtenstein FTA The U.S. Trade Representative on Wednesday ‍announced ‌the implementation of tariff-related elements in a trade agreement ⁠framework reached with ‌Switzerland and Liechtenstein in November. 1/2 Source: www.globalbankingandfinance.com/usa-trump-ta...

India and Oman are set to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on December 18, a move that will deepen economic ties and anchor India’s expanding trade and strategic footprint in the Gulf. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...

Mexico/India Trade Talks Accelerated trade talks btw. Mexico & India could be on the horizon after steep new tariffs that could hit India especially hard were approved by both houses of the Mexican Congress. The higher duties will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. 1/2 mexiconewsdaily.com/business/ind...

BREAKING: Giorgia Meloni may have just killed the #Mercosur free trade deal between the EU and South American countries - delaying a vote until early next year. Experts have warned that failure to sign the agreement this week before VDL's trip to Brazil Saturday will permanently kill it.

Let's go through the Eramus statement together 1/ ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Joint statement confirmed negotiations concluded on UK's association to Erasmus+ in 2027 Also shared aim to conclude negotiations on Youth Experience Scheme, common SPS Area and linking of ETS schemes by next [annual] EU-UK summit... although no date for this ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

UK Government response to Lord Murphy's Independent Review of the Windsor Framework published All 16 recommendations accepted. The Independent Review followed the NI Assembly's vote in December 2024 on granting 'Democratic Consent' to the continued application of... www.gov.uk/government/p...

UK gov "unlikely to turn around perception that wider UK trade policy will deliver little" "Ten years after the referendum (....) all roads lead back to Brussels." @davidheniguk.bsky.social 

EU ambassadors expected to vote on signing the EU-Mercosur pact on Friday. Trilogue on safeguard could happen Wednesday evening. All TBC though.

Mercosur: Parliament backs safeguard measures to protect EU agriculture. www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

China on Tuesday imposed final anti-dumping duties of up to 19.8% on pork imports from the European Union, a drop from preliminary tariffs of up to 62.4%.

EU/Mercosur FTA & EU/India FTA Sad reality: both agreements may not be concluded this year. www.euractiv.com/news/brussel...

India is currently engaged in numerous trade negotiations/talks: India/EU FTA India/ US BTA India/Austalia CECA Infia/Peru FTA India/Chile CEPA India/Canada MDTI India/New Zealand India/Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) FTA What is the current status? www.republicworld.com/business/ind...

Some $1.6 trillion in annual imports are subject to the tariffs, while at least $1.7 trillion are excluded, either because they are duty-free or subject to another tariff, according to a POLITICO analysis based on last year’s import data. 1/2 www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

US/India Trade Talks India has offered the U.S. a revised “final” deal, but its priority now is the removal of the additional 25% tariffs linked to Russian oil, two different sources have confirmed to The Hindu. 1/2 www.thehindu.com/business/ind...

EU/India Trade Talks Trade negotiators from ‍India and ‌the EU are no ⁠longer optimistic ‌about finalising a FTA by the end of the year, ⁠with talks stuck over some key ​issues such as steel and ‌automobiles. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Three influential U.S. lawmakers have introduced a resolution in Congress aimed at ending the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on India, saying the “irresponsible tariff strategy” toward Delhi is a counterproductive approach that "weakens a critical partnership". 1/2 www.thehindu.com/news/interna...

"To borrow a criticism, in his robust defence of Brexit freedoms, Starmer resembles Alec Guinness’s half-mad colonel in The Bridge on the River Kwai, protecting an edifice he has forgotten was built for the benefit of the other side."

The never-ending story that is the EU-Mercosur agreement borderlex.net/2025/12/11/c...

US/India (Trade) Relation Narendra Modi spoke with Donald Trump over the phone on Thursday. The two leaders reviewed the progress made in the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and stressed the need to keep up the momentum in boosting bilateral trade.

"But a customs union is far from being a silver bullet for the UK’s economic woes, and it does have some potential downsides." ✍️ As debates about the UK entering into a customs union with the EU resurface, @jreland.bsky.social looks at what this would actually mean ukandeu.ac.uk/is-a-customs...

India/US Trade Talks Piyush Goyal 🇮🇳 today expressed optimism about ongoing trade negotiations with the US, stating that discussions are “progressing well" towards a BTA and clarified that India does not negotiate deals on the basis of deadlines. Source: www.news18.com/india/we-nev...

The Indian government has yesterday informed the Parliament that the Union Cabinet's approval for the signing and ratification of the India-UK CETA has been obtained. As a result, internal procedures for ratification of the treaty by India are complete.

Full text of @uktradebusiness.bsky.social report on UK-EU youth mobility can be found here - www.tradeandbusiness.uk/ukeu-yes-sch...

More on the @uktradebusiness.bsky.social report on UK-EU youth mobility released today - which provides greater detail and reasoning than either side has so far in their own communication. www.tradeandbusiness.uk/news/launch-...

Canada’s ambassador to the US and its chief trade negotiator with the Trump administration said she is stepping down in the new year. Hillman (a trade lawyer) was a key member of the Canadian negotiating team during the talks that led to the creation of the USMCA. www.politico.eu/article/cana...

US/India trade talks start today at 11 am (IST). The talks focus on expanding American farmers’ access to Indian markets. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer: "India has made 'the best we’ve ever received as a country' in ongoing discussions." Source: www.financialexpress.com/world-news/u...

EU/India Trade Talks Statement by Shri Piyush Goyal 🇮🇳 after his talks with Maroš Šefčovic 🇪🇺. "Commissioner Šefčovič’s visit to New Delhi represented a significant milestone in the ongoing India–EU trade dialogue (...)." Source: www.pib.gov.in/PressRelease...

US/India Trade Talks India’s negotiations for the trade deal with the US will now be led by Darpan Jain as the Chief Negotiator from the Indian side. He is a 2001-batch IAS officer & is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the MoCI. 1/2 Source: www.moneycontrol.com/news/busines...

US/India Trade Relation Trump threatens more tariffs on Indian rice! Why India has little to worry - and US consumers may bear the brunt. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...

EU/India Trade Talks EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today in New Delhi. Maroš Šefčovič: "... We had a constructive, results-oriented discussion on key areas of shared interest and opportunity between the EU and India."

EU/India FTA Negotiations "The two sides are keen to make a formal announcement on the India-EU FTA at the India-EU Summit in New Delhi, possibly on January 27, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the EU leadership (...)." www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/eu-t...

The US Trade Representative is due to send a report to Congress on the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (#USMCA) in January, ahead of the July 2026 review of the agreement. Learn everything you need to know from our guide to the USMCA here:

EU/India Trade Talks India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met EU's Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič in New Delhi today. The meeting took stock of progress in the India-EU trade talks and aims to sort out pending issues.

It’s an absolutely gigantic risk for the EU and its Member States: 1. Brexit cost the EU & EU businesses fortunes in uncertainty & adjustments, and sucked up near endless political capacity and attention. It cost the UK much more, but still cost the EU. 2. It would require MS leaders to stake…

Very clear description of what a customs union is & how UK companies would benefit (& by how much). Relevant to the recent chatter about the UK having a customs union with the EU.

A paper from Indonesia seems to have made agreement in the current WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations even more difficult to reach. It says the latest draft would violate sovereignty principles in the UN Law of the Sea. This is going to be controversial tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2025/12/05/i...

US/India Trade Talks A US trade team led by Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer is set to visit India next week to iron out differences such that a US/India trade agreement is signed before December-end. 1/2 Source: indianexpress.com/article/busi...

EU/India Trade Talks A visiting team from the EU will hold discussions with India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday (December 8) regarding the advancement of talks on the proposed free trade agreement, an official source has said. Source: thefederal.com/category/bus...

Any doubts about why large corporations need huge trade staffs and small firms either give up or pay consultants? Trade facilitation is urgently needed, but will be ignored by politicals because it isn’t sexy. Not to mention that most of the business press don’t deem such details newsworthy.

Brexit law Details of the first UK national court reference to the CJEU sent since the end of the Brexit transition period - on the position of a non-EU family member of an EU citizen with settled status who left the home due to domestic violence - curia.europa.eu/juris/showPd...

“I would strongly contest whether rejoining the customs union would either be quick or straightforward,” one cabinet source said.’ Wise source www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The European Commission has launched a review of the anti-subsidy tariffs on Volkswagen's electric vehicles built in China, which could lead to their replacement with a minimum price commitment. The focus appears to be on the Cupra Tavascan. 1/3 www.electrive.com/2025/12/05/e...

One Chinese EV firm-a joint venture between VW and JAC Motors-could escape the EU's countervailing duties after it submitted a price undertaking offer. The commission has now launched a partial interim review. More by me here borderlex.net/2025/12/04/c...