With the elections for the European Parliament, multiple promises are made as politicians compete to gain voters and influence future policies. One might then ask, how will the outcome of these...

After the United States imposed $250billion of tariffs on Chinese goods based on its determination, under U.S. Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, that China had violated trade agreements with the...

Last year was a difficult year for free trade and the international rules-based system. No doubt the US played an important role in this: It threatened old trade partners like Canada and the EU with...

In a time of rising protectionism and emerging trade wars, it is crucial that supporters of free trade raise their voices. We need to create a new narrative that addresses concerns and makes our case...

The current Brexit debate is mainly about the transition period which will probably follow the UK’s exit from the EU in March 2019. I say probably because, while both sides agree on the principle...

Trump’s rhetoric on trade during his election campaign set a bad tone for US trade policy in general, but also for EU-US trade relations. However, his views – or at least his rhetoric – on many...

Things for the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism are not looking good lately. The system has been strongly criticised by civil society and representatives of governments all over the...

The last Japan-EU Summit achieved a little noticed but crucial progress. It made a clear call for “further progress in regulatory cooperation” between Japan and the EU—a theme non-existent two...

In October 2014, Jeronim Capaldo published a paper (hereafter Capaldo 2014) suggesting TTIP to cause severe negative economic implications for Europe. In a recent paper, we point to the fundamental...

In Germany, a few anti-TTIP groups are waging a resolute battle against TTIP in online media. Compared to both German industry associations and labour unions, which are the traditional bodies...