European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
Laura Puccio
Reform of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund [EU Legislation in Progress][Policy Podcast]
The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was created in 2006 to finance active labour market policies targeting workers who have lost their jobs because of trade adjustment. Continue reading
The future partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom: Negotiating a framework for relations after Brexit
Following the European Council’s additional guidelines of March 2018, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) have begun discussions on their future relations, after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit). Continue reading
The Privacy Shield: Update on the state of play of the EU-US data transfer rules
The CJEU’s Schrems judgment of October 2015, besides declaring the European Commission’s Decision on the EU-US ‘Safe Harbour’ data transfer regime invalid, has also settled a number of crucial requirements corresponding to the foundations of EU data protection. In less than one year from the CJEU ruling, the Commission had adopted a new adequacy decision in which the new framework for EU-US data transfer, the Privacy Shield (2016), is deemed to adequately protect EU citizens. The main improvements of the Privacy Shield (over its predecessor), as well as the critical reactions to the new arrangements, are discussed in this paper. The first joint annual review took place in September 2017 on which both the Commission and Article 29 Working Party issued their own reports. Although progress is recognised, a number of concerns remain and new challenges to the Privacy Shield have arisen, among others, from the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, as pointed out by the European Parliament in its recent resolution. Continue reading
More flexible VAT rates [EU Legislation in Progress]
Value added tax (VAT) is an important source of revenue for national governments and the European Union (EU) budget and, from an economic point of view, a very efficient consumption tax. Continue reading
The added value of international trade and impact of trade barriers
It is recognised that GDP growth and trade are interlinked – consequently, measures which facilitate international trade also have positive effects on the development of GDP. Continue reading
Trade flows: animated infographic
Written by Krisztina Binder, Laura Puccio, Giulio Sabbati. ‘Every man lives by exchanging’, said philosopher and economist Adam Smith in the late 18th century. Indeed, trade has historically played a significant role in a country’s economy. In today’s globalised world, trade is a major tool in state policies to ensure economic growth and more jobs. A country’s success … Continue reading
A guide to EU procedures for the conclusion of international trade agreements [Policy Podcast]
Written by Laura Puccio, The European Union (EU) was the world’s biggest exporter and importer of goods and services in 2015, representing 32.51 % of global trade in goods and services. The USA and China, meanwhile, accounted for 12.01 % and 10.68 % respectively. The EU has been negotiating trade agreements since the 1970s, then … Continue reading
EU-US negotiations on TTIP: State of Play
Written by Laura Puccio, At the conclusion of the 13th round of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), held in New York in April 2016, discussions between the European Union and the United States had succeeded in covering all of the agreement’s chapters. The 14th round of negotiations takes place in Brussels from … Continue reading
China’s Market Economy Status debate
Written by Laura Puccio and Gisela Grieger, Since the fall of the Soviet Bloc and the opening of transition economies to international trade, a distinction between non-market economies (NMEs) and market economies has been established in international trade law, in particular in the framework of anti-dumping (AD) investigations. In a NME, domestic prices are considered … Continue reading
Foreign fighters – Member State responses and EU action
Written by Piotr Bąkowski and Laura Puccio, As the hostilities in Syria and Iraq continue, and terrorist activities worldwide appear to be on the rise, EU Member States are increasingly confronted with the problem of aspiring and returning ‘foreign fighters’. Whereas the phenomenon is not new, its scale certainly is, explaining the wide perception that … Continue reading
Role of the US Congress in trade agreements: The ‘Fast-Track’ procedure
Written by Micaela Del Monte and Laura Puccio Since 1974 the United States Congress has enacted Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation to ensure speedy implementation of trade agreements in the United States, while maintaining a congressional hold on the objectives to be pursued by US negotiators. TPA defines a streamlined procedure (or expedited procedure) to … Continue reading
The CJEU’s Schrems ruling on the Safe Harbour Decision
Written by Shara Monteleone and Laura Puccio On 6 October 2015, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) declared invalid the European Commission’s decision on the adequacy of the US data protection system (Safe Harbour Decision). In this judgment, regarding the transfer of personal data from the EU to the USA, the Court also clarified that national supervisory authorities are always allowed to investigate the lawfulness of data transfers and, if necessary, to suspend them. The case underlines the requirement for ensuring high-level protection when EU citizens’ data are transferred to third countries. The implications for businesses, governments and EU institutions, as well as for EU-US relations, remain to be clarified. Continue reading
Investment rules in trade agreements: Developments and issues in light of the TTIP debate
Written by Laura Puccio EU FDI stocks in the US amount to €1 651.6 billion and US FDI stocks in the EU to €1 685.5 billion. Investment access and protection are therefore critical to EU-US economic relations. However, the need for an investment chapter in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and an … Continue reading
EU-US negotiations on TTIP: A survey of current issues
Written by Laura Puccio With the next TTIP negotiating session due in July, an extraordinary meeting of Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA) will be held on 29 June. The Committee will discuss the many amendments put forward in plenary to its draft recommendations for the EU’s negotiators, with the aim of finding compromises which the … Continue reading
‘Foreign fighters’ – Member States’ responses and EU action in an international context
Written by Piotr Bakowski and Laura Puccio As the hostilities in Syria and Iraq continue and terrorism activities worldwide seem to be on the rise, EU Member States are increasingly confronted with the problem of aspiring and returning ‘foreign fighters’. Whereas the phenomenon is not new, its scale certainly is, which explains the wide perception … Continue reading
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