Cecilia Malmström

The World Trade Organization (WTO) needs to be reformed urgently and needs to be strengthened, because at present it is incapable of making decisions, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom said Thursday in Bucharest. The European representative warned that should the WTO collapse, there would be catastrophic consequences in the economy.

The Trade Ministers of the EU gather in Bucharest between 21 and 22 February, at the informal meeting that will be chaired by Business Environment, Trade and Entrepreneurship Minister Stefan-Radu Oprea, in the context of Romania's Presidency at the EU Council.

Brnabic will chair a meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council between Serbia and the European Union, the government announced on Monday.

The European Commission has published two new studies highlighting the growing importance of EU exports for job opportunities in Europe and beyond. EU exports to other countries around the world are more important than ever. They provide over 36 million jobs across Europe - two-thirds more than their number in 2000, with 14 million of them employed by women.

AFP - Top officials from the US and EU meet in Brussels on Monday in an effort to iron out differences on trade talks announced to great fanfare this summer.

US President Donald Trump and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker in July pledged to hold off from further tit-for-tat tariffs and to work towards a limited trade accord that would scrap customs duties on all goods.

The European Union is introducing customs duties on a number of American products from tomorrow, Nova TV reported. Fees are 25% and will affect commodities such as bourbon, jeans and motorcycles.

The decision is in response to Donald Trump's import duties on European steel and aluminum.

Brussels, 31 May 2018

The US announced that starting on 1 June 2018 it will impose additional duties of 25 % and 10 % respectively on imports of steel and aluminium from the EU.

Cheaper Japanese cars and European cheese are on the way as the EU's trade agreement after the European Commission announced on April 18 that it had cleared the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement with Tokyo, New Europe reports.

Ministers responsible for trade in the EU meet at an informal meeting in Bulgaria.

The European Commission will be represented by Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Trade. Ministers will discuss the prospects for a trading system.

The European Union's top trade official said on July 1 that a Japan-EU free trade deal was "almost there," as the two sides look to ink an agreement seen as a push back against rising protectionism.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom was in Tokyo with agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan for two days of talks with Japanese officials.