Trade policy
India-UK CETA and its rules of origin: a new chapter in India’s preferential trade architecture
Bhupender Singh12 Jul 2026
India-UK CETA and its rules of origin: a new chapter in India’s preferential trade architecture
Editorial note: With the EU-India FTA near conclusion and the UK-India CETA entering into force on 15 July 2026, exporters to India face a market that is liberalising at the border while tightening on origin. Using the newly notified UK-India rules of origin as a working template for how India...
Origin
Trade policy
Country update
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
Ira Reese28 Jun 2026
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
The U.S. is entering a new era of customs enforcement. But while Executive Order strengthening customs enforcement sets an ambitious agenda, can CBP realistically deliver it after decades of declining trade expertise? This article explores what the Order means in practice and what importers should do now to reduce their...
Trade policy
Country update
Understanding the EU–Mercosur Agreement: a practical guide for businesses
Marc Bauer02 Jun 2026
Understanding the EU–Mercosur Agreement: a practical guide for businesses
The EU–Mercosur Agreement opens new opportunities for businesses trading between the EU and South America. However, benefiting from preferential tariffs requires more than simply knowing that an agreement exists. Companies must understand how the rules of origin work, how preferential origin should be proven, and how tariff reductions are calculated...
Origin
Trade policy
Topic spotlight
The end of IEEPA tariffs: what importers must do now
Christopher Matt01 Mar 2026
The end of IEEPA tariffs: what importers must do now
The US Supreme Court’s 20 February 2026 ruling limits presidential emergency powers, confirming that IEEPA cannot be used to impose tariffs. For companies, this creates potentially billions in refund claims and requires urgent attention to the new temporary Section 122 tariffs, which carry strict limits and a 150-day sunset. Meanwhile,...
Trade policy
Case law
Unlocking global trade insights: an introduction to the WTO’s data portals
Sabine van Osenbrüggen03 Dec 2025
Unlocking global trade insights: an introduction to the WTO’s data portals
This article provides an overview of the most prominent WTO data portals, explaining their key features and demonstrating their practical applications. Whether you are a trade professional searching for tariff rates, a company evaluating market access conditions or a researcher studying multilateral trade disciplines, these platforms provide an ideal starting...
Trade policy
Explainer
First arbitration decision under EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement 
Holly Piggott01 Jul 2025
First arbitration decision under EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
This article examines the UK-Sandeel arbitration case, which was the first dispute to be resolved under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) framework. It outlines the background to the case, the arguments put forward by both parties, the findings of the tribunal, and the subsequent steps taken by the...
Trade policy
Case law
Tariffs – pros and cons
Tariffs – pros and cons
09 Jun 2025
Discussions around US tariffs have made many people think again about the reasons and motivations behind countries imposing tariffs. Throughout history, there have been many examples of strict protectionism and free trade between countries. Why do countries impose tariffs, who benefits from them, and who loses out? What are the...
Trade policy
Topic spotlight
China’s countermeasures in response to US tariff escalations
Zhiwei Chen23 May 2025
China’s countermeasures in response to US tariff escalations
The United States' imposition of new tariffs has been a key talking point in professional, political and academic circles for some time. Countries are reacting to the new US trade policy in various ways. This article discusses the measures taken by China in response to US tariff policy and how...
Trade policy
Country update
New US tariffs on Europe compound challenges for the steel and aluminium sectors
Antonio Castagnini09 Apr 2025
New US tariffs on Europe compound challenges for the steel and aluminium sectors
The recent decision by the United States to reintroduce tariffs on steel and aluminium imports has prompted significant concern among European industries. Announced in February 2025, the US government has reinstated a 25% tariff on steel and increased the tariff on aluminium from 10% to 25%. This adds to the...
Trade policy
Topic spotlight
New US tariffs and origin of goods
Mark Rowbotham06 Apr 2025
New US tariffs and origin of goods
All products originating in the UK are now subject to a baseline US tariff of 10%. Compare this with the tariffs levied against the EU (20%) and China (54%) and it can be seen that the origin of products exported to the US is crucial. The condition is that UK...
Origin
Trade policy
Topic spotlight
Overregulation: how do we cope with it?
Vincent van Dijk06 Mar 2025
Overregulation: how do we cope with it?
The recent cover of the weekly The Economist issue had a picture of red tape and the title “The revolt against regulation”. Some statistics from the articles on the topic: in the US, federal regulations now exceed 180,000 pages, up from 20,000 in the early 1960s; in the past five...
Trade policy
Explainer
The impact of the Turkish-Israeli trade crisis on the region
Omer Wagner09 Jun 2024
The impact of the Turkish-Israeli trade crisis on the region
Recently, trade relations between Türkiye and Israel have been shaky. Although Türkiye and Israel have had a free trade agreement for many years, Türkiye announced that it would stop all trade with Israel, to which Israel responded that it intended to abolish the free trade agreement and also impose additional...
Trade policy
Country update
EU FTAs: Is EU fully utilising benefits?
Assoc Prof Dr Momchil Antov07 Apr 2024
EU FTAs: Is EU fully utilising benefits?
The EU has concluded more than 40 free trade agreements (FTAs) with around 80 countries, which supposedly bring significant benefits for trade with partner countries. But is this really the case, i.e. is the EU fully utilising these benefits? This article attempts to assess the application of EU FTAs by...
Trade policy
Case law
Export promotion programmes: Lithuania's case
Export promotion programmes: Lithuania's case
Jonas Aleksonis15 Jan 2024
Exports of goods are an important driver of business productivity and economic growth (Mota et al., 2021). Nobody doubts the benefits of exporting today. The government aims to increase the competitiveness of business and industry in international trade and to promote job creation and economic growth by creating a business-friendly...
Trade policy
Explainer
The developments of mega-free trade agreements
Hans-Michael Wolffgang01 Oct 2023
The developments of mega-free trade agreements
The development of free trade areas around the world, with most attention paid to the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas, is a major theme of the article. It also raises the question of the role of the EU in this development. The article is based on the presentation at the...
Trade policy
Perspective
What does “trade facilitation” really mean?
Eduardo Leite LLB, LLM02 Jul 2023
What does “trade facilitation” really mean?
With the increase in globalization and economic interdependence between countries, trade facilitation has become a critically important issue for the global economy. Consequently, trade facilitation has been addressed in all its possible meanings, in all fields and scopes, and by all institutions that are somehow linked to international trade, composing...
Trade policy
Explainer