Got to love when my two countries talk - more of this. www.politico.eu/article/cana...

When your child looks at last year's present from Santa and asks why it says, "Made in China." I knew the rules of origin would bite back at some point.

WTF.

Some Thoughts on Addressing Non-Market Policies and Practices through WTO Disputes

Redefining a national health issue into an emergency in international relations shifts agency oversight. Mauroni: "There’s no question that the number of deaths caused by fentanyl overdoses is a national tragedy. It is, however, not one caused by a weapon of war" mwi.westpoint.edu/fentanyl-sho...

It is the brazen threats which announce such obvious breaches of international law which is so galling. The USTR wins today - directly threatening EU companies is certainly a new low. Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Twitter, Netflix, Disney and all others should start to worry about a new service trade war.

POTUS designated illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction. Legality should be irrelevant if the focus is on chemicals as constituting major risks to international peace. States designate WMD to justify maximum measures ex ante ... not ex post.

I read the United States' comment on WTO reform and wrote about it: www.linkedin.com/pulse/united...

Dec 16 & 17, the year-end WTO General Council. Some people see WTO reform as the possible key outcome of the March Ministerial Conference. That’s going to be difficult, judging by new papers for the General Council: a report on consultations from “facilitator” Petter Ølberg; and a US response.

Self fulfilling prophecy that now everyone talks about trade imbalances because Trump couldn’t stop talking about trade imbalances.

New tariffs, related to Section 301 investigation of Nicaragua’s labor/human rights abuses & "dismantling of the rule of law": "Effective January 1, 2026, the US will impose a tariff that is phased-in over two years on all imported Nicaraguan goods that are not originating under the [CAFTA-DR]."

Pursuant to the 1944 treaty a binational International Boundary and Water Commission shall address disputes between the United States and Mexico. It is not for the POTUS to impose punitive measures at will. Has the IBWC interpreted the treaty in light of the US concerns? www.ibwc.gov/wp-content/u...

A bit of history from me today, in light of news about a farmer-focused bailout and the ongoing abuse of emergency tariffs. President Woodrow Wilson and his opposition to isolationism on economic and political grounds. www.linkedin.com/pulse/weve-b...

US National Security Strategy 2025 media.licdn.com/dms/document...

I guess Europe is a nation? I hope the UK isn't hurt not to see their name listed.

Interesting that the Quad is now India, Aus, Japan, and the US.

US National Security Strategy 2025 doesn't say anything new about economic security, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

11 WTO members have accepted the inevitable and drafted a decision to give up the idea of concluding fisheries subsidies talks at the next Ministerial Conference in Youndé in March. All but one of the 11 are island states, and all but two of those are Pacific island states — not necessarily small

Hrm that threshold aligns with s122

They expect to lose the limitless power though, methinks

Honoured to speak before the European Parliament's INTA Committee yesterday. Europe’s economic strength depends on its engagement with all Members who depend on trade and on a strong rules-based system. Open, collective multilateral institutions are the most powerful tool Europe has available.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to speak tomorrow at Panel 1 on EU trade and the evolution of open strategic autonomy before the INTA Committee. For those who asked, please find the public broadcast here: multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...

Over at LinkedIn, I have engaged with @robinh.bsky.social recent op-ed in the @financialtimes.com, 'China is making trade impossible.' www.linkedin.com/posts/mppaul...

I have given careful thought to Robin Harding's Op-Ed @financialtimes.com this week. My initial impression was that it conveys a clear message to European policymakers — you know what you must do, even if you dislike it. However, upon reflection, I believe Harding is speaking to China, not Europe.

My Trade Secrets today. Funny* thing about Trump's tariffs: they're really unpopular and he's retreating from them even before most of the bad effects have come through. God knows what will happen when they do. *By funny I mean both unexpected but also very amusing. on.ft.com/4p5NUVy

🌟Dan Ciuriak and I have published our article at World Trade Review open access. Our focus has been on establishing the potential for collective action within the WTO architecture.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is probably not the best time to kick off a blog debate on economic security in trade agreements, but nevertheless here's part 1 of two posts by Geoff Gertz of CNAS. Part 2 will come next Monday when everyone in the US is back online, so they can catch up then!

Can Local Content Requirements Save Europe’s Auto Industry? I know the answer: No 🙂 rhg.com/research/mad...

The EU and India are cutting corners to get a trade deal across the line by the end of the year. The latest casualty is the state-owned enterprises chapter - now consigned to history. But problems remain. More by me here borderlex.net/2025/11/25/e...

Not just soften. The EU would surrender the moral high ground to a rights-based regulatory environment in the interests of protecting users in the digital ecosystem.

Don’t know how it took this long but my children have finally found out that the word duties is hilarious.

As I engage more deeply with policy proposals to fulfil the EU economic security strategy, I find myself returning to Doug Irwin's historical work on import substitution strategies. After exploring the work of early development economists, Irwin concluded…

"The Trump administration has signaled in private talks that it could launch a Section 301 trade investigation if South Korea pursues legislation viewed as harmful to U.S. tech firms, even as the two nations move ahead with their new trade agreement."

Exemplars vs. Precedents in WTO Law

EU EcoSec tethered to arming up-- reflective of the overbearing metaphors of weaponisation and "trade war" that sees the EU as getting ready for battle. Economics has always been key to defence, but I wonder if they'll think about action beyond shocks and beyond wartime.

NEW: The European Commission is set to present a list of sectors that it wants to be exempted from U.S. tariffs to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer when they meet EU ministers next Monday. www.politico.eu/article/eu-t...

Gideon Rachman is very good here. My takeaway is that Europe may need to stop acting (to quote from the brilliant Celebrity Traitors) like a Big Dog and start thinking like a shrewd, smaller one. tinyurl.com/2n27s5d3

Raimondo, key architect of Biden ecosec team, largely upheld Trump 1.0 trade controls. That's the thing about controls, easy to put on, but difficult to remove. All too slippery -- one justification slides into another, without review, under the over-arching, opaque premise of economic security.

Just want to recommend @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social latest MFN substack on the new(ish) rules of control. mostfavourednation.substack.com/p/rules-of-c...

The issue here is the Executive is determining under the guise of an economic emergency which tariffs to lower, taking control of all questions of competitiveness and redistribution. If Americans can once again savour coffee and smoothies, is the emergency over? And, if not, what was sacrificed?

In the USA, policies aim to expand the dominance of US private firms, while under growing executive oversight, whereby power is recentred to the top, ultimately leading to the US becoming a hub of digital monopolies and a centralised executive. www.ft.com/content/bea8...

US trade negotiator Jamieson Greer tells FT that the EU is being too slow in cutting tariffs and red tape - and that the relationship remains “unbalanced” - ahead of talks in Brussels this week @aimewilliams.bsky.social & @andybounds.bsky.social with the scoop, as ever

Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said Saturday that Brazilian exported goods to the U.S. including coffee, beef and tropical fruits would still be tariffed 40%, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to remove some import taxes.

A bit nerdy, but a reminder that organisations like the WTO are useful for discussing concerns multilaterally and for defusing trade tensions. Not always, but it's better than not having the WTO at all. tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/h...

Good quote from @dougpalmer.bsky.social

Amazing to see such claims considering it was the US who raised costs on its own importers. Brazil and Ecuador would very much matter for these 3, but there’s nothing signed yet.

Beyond ecosec alignment, some of these commitments involve sweeping denials of Guatemalan sovereignty, not to mention the efforts of poorer economies to protect their agricultural sectors. O/S questions: What if US standards are different from International ones? What kind of regulatory oversight?

More US security agreements with a majority of DR-CAFTA signatories. Ecuador commits to US economic security planning, TRQs for ag goods, commits not to impose DST, to abandon GIs on meet/cheeses. Interesting commitment on international IP though. And for what? Qualifying doing a lot of work.

It's been a rough year for European trade policy. The deal with the US, disputes with China and an overall sense of a worsening economic climate. My latest piece tries to draw out some lessons for Europe www.cer.eu/insights/thr...

I have a question - I couldn't find any record of this before, so is this a new development?