Also worth noting: this passed thanks to the vote of a government led by a former Eurosceptic party (Fratelli d'Italia) and including an openly Eurosceptic one (Lega), while a major country governed by a firmly pro-EU party (Renaissance) voted against.

A historic day today - even if we do end up re-running all this drama in a few months when it comes to ratification borderlex.net/2026/01/09/e...

Never forget

Today is the first time the council has failed to back a trade agreement unanimously. 68.7% of the EU population supported the EU-Mercosur deal, just above the required 65% figure

The commission on Tuesday: "we need to keep anti-dumping tariffs on fertilisers" The commission on Wednesday: "we need to reduce tariffs on fertilisers to help farmers" Life comes at you fast. Link to comm regulation on anti-dumping duties here datahub.borderlex.net/documenthub/...

Article no longer behind the pay wall. Go for it!

European Commission said today it still posts on X because that’s where its public is and it’s important to reach their public (X is one of many places where they post - the commission apparently posts on 14 different social media channels).

Reminder to all those who think Mercosur will be "finalised" this week

European Commission said today that it plans to lower MFN tariffs for pesticides to 0% to provide relief to farmers and offset the impact of the Cbam

I don't know if it's depressing or amusing that we'll be having exactly the same conversations about Mercosur when the council comes to ratify the deal in a few months. Literal groundhog day. "France has demanded so-and-so, Italy wants more money, Poland is against" etc

The EU wants to diversify its trade relations - but will its member states let it? My preview of 2026 below borderlex.net/2026/01/07/e...

Happy new year! borderlex.net/2026/01/05/f...

China hints it may be ready to take the EU to the WTO over the CBAM. Per the Soapbox newsletter, on 1 January Beijing said the scheme was "“unfair and discriminatory” and warned it would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its interests.

I don't know, maybe you think Italian farmers can be won over in 3 weeks. I'm not so sure.

Our regular columnist John Clarke with his lively take on the farmers' protests and the future of the EU-Mercosur pact borderlex.net/2025/12/18/b...

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!

Zagreb making the pitch that it should host the new European Customs Authority because it favours geographical balance and Croatia doesn’t host any EU agency. It also says it among all EU countries has the longest land border with non-EU countries. Decision due early next year

A pile of confusing announcements on the CBAM today, all neatly wrapped up and packaged by me for you to unwrap on Christmas Day (or now, if you like - that would probably make more sense tbh) borderlex.net/2025/12/17/c...

Mirror clauses really could feature in the EU-Mercosur pact. Or maybe member states will strike them down. Or maybe France will insist on it. Or maybe member states won't sign it after all. This thing, man...anyway, this is what happened today borderlex.net/2025/12/16/m...

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 

Mercosur countries must obey EU production rules or risk facing a safeguard, according to the position adopted by the parliament just now. But will this survive tomorrow’s trilogue negotiation with the council? Stay tuned!

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

🗳Very large majority in favour of the total phase out of Russian gas imports by Sept 2027 in @itre.europarl.europa.eu and @inta.europarl.europa.eu committees tonight. Plenary vote on wednesday (seems that there will be no suspense)

The parliament’s environment committee votes - not exactly conclusively - in favour of the changes to the EU deforestation regulation. 48+, 36-, 1 abstention. Vote in plenary on Wednesday.

It's nice that some people think this week will bring "closure" to the EU-Mercosur deal. If it's dead, recriminations will be long-lasting. If it's alive, we still have the ratification process to look forward to 🍿🍿🍿

A nice early Christmas present for EU consumers borderlex.net/2025/12/12/e...

This news dropped as I was walking to the shop to pick up a parcel from the UK. Maybe, I dunno, I'm part of the problem? www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

Our weekly Brussels trade column highlights: ▪️ Foreign subsidies regulation: new probe, revision issues #FSR 🔸 Mercosur: continued uncertainty #EUMercosur By @robfranciseu.bsky.social 

From FT Europe Express newsletter. Outrageously biased anti-trade opinions masquerading as news. Which is pretty weird really, but shows how easy it is to accept protectionism, as this is. Not a loophole, but was a deliberate policy to encourage trade by small companies.

The race to host one of the most important EU agencies is into the final straight? But who's the favourite? Who are the outsiders? And whose planned offices are falling down? More by me here 👇🏻 borderlex.net/2025/12/11/b...

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

EU-Mercosur: The European Commission’s Paolo Garzotti says the amendment adopted by MEPs to enforce reciprocal production standards as part of the safeguard is “against the agreement” and “inapplicable”. He’s more worried about that amendment than the lowering of the threshold

Spain’s pitch to host the EU’s customs authority seems targeted at Spanish journalists. Lengthy doorstep with the first deputy PM entirely in Spanish without any translation. Not sure how this will win hearts and minds outside Spain.

I’m the only non-Spanish journalist at Malaga’s pitch to host the future European Customs Authority

Commission deputy DG Denis Redonnet says the parliament and council could reach a deal on FDI screening this Thursday in trilogue

Everything you wanted to know about the CSDDD agreement but you were in bed when it was done at 3am and you need to catch up - 👇🏻 borderlex.net/2025/12/09/e...

MEPs in the trade committee backed the compromise amendments which tighten the safeguard rules for the Mercosur pact. May delay the signing of the deal as council waved it through without any changes. MEPs also want to impose reciprocity requirements in the form of a safeguard 🫢

Perhaps more to the point - what happens if the parliament’s position contradicts the content of the actual agreement (which is possible)? Presumably this will have to be negotiated away in trilogues. Because after all no one wants to reopen talks www.politico.eu/article/parl...

I’m surprised the commission still posts on X. I’m even more surprised they have an ad account www.politico.eu/article/x-ax...

This week in EU trade policy news you may have missed: 📌MEPs fight over Mercosur safeguards 📌EU and Vietnam set up task force to resolve 'trade irritants' 📌Commission reports on talks with Ecuador on sustainable investment facilitation agreement borderlex.net/2025/12/05/w...

Groundhog day in Brussels. Just needs Bill Murray and the picture would be complete borderlex.net/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...

The EU and Vietnam will establish a task force to tackle trade irritants faced by EU exporters and get Hanoi to properly implement the FTA, the commission said yesterday. Irritants touch on exports of cars, pharma, agfood, plus worries about IPR enforcement and labour rights

For those of you not lost in today's economic security swamp yesterday's intervention by commission deputy DG Leopoldo Rubinacci in INTA following the Mercosur debate is worth a watch. Shoots down in less than 5 mins most of the scaremongering (at 16:35) multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...

Another day, another new law agreed by the EU institutions, this time banning Russian gas. Full details here borderlex.net/2025/12/03/e...

On hosting the European Customs Authority, Dutch tax minister Eugène Heijnen says it’s an “asset” that The Hague is already hosting several international bodies, not a hindrance. The Dutch have had their eyes on hosting ECA since at least 2020

Packed house for the Dutch pitch to host the future European Customs Authority. 9 cities battling out. The Hague stands a good chance IMO

Everything you need to know about last night's agreement on the EU's trading arrangements for developing countries, also known as the GSP borderlex.net/2025/12/02/e...

Negotiations to finalise the EU's customs reform may leak into next year - partly due to the council dragging its feet on mandates, partly because other issues (e.g. frozen Russian assets) are sucking time from the agenda. Full overview here borderlex.net/2025/12/01/e...

Big week for the EU customs reform. Council needs to agree mandates on penalties and access to the data hub ahead of a final trilogue under 🇩🇰 presidency on 10 December. But the file will likely be handed to Cyprus. More info on the state of trilogue talks to come later today