european union (EU)

history

• its very beginning - in the form of european coal and steel community and european atomic energy community 
• A prison camp was created under the Bourbons and restructured under Benito Mussolini on the nearby island of Santo Stefano. There, up to 700 opponents, including 400 communists, were incarcerated between 1939 and 1943. One of them was Altiero Spinelli who wrote there a text now known as the "Ventotene Manifesto", promoting the idea of a federal Europe after the war. The Ventotene Manifesto (Italian: Manifesto di Ventotene), officially entitled For a Free and United Europe. A Draft Manifesto (Per un'Europa libera e unita. Progetto d'un manifesto), is a political statement written by Altiero Spinelli and by Ernesto Rossi while they were prisoners on the Italian island of Ventotene during World War II. Completed in June 1941, the Manifesto was circulated within the Italian Resistance, and it soon became the programme of theMovimento Federalista Europeo. The Manifesto encouraged a federation of European states, which was meant to keep the countries of Europe close, thus preventing war. Vayssière notes that the manifesto is widely seen as the birth of European federalism. Spinelli (1907–86), a former Communist, became a leader of the federalist movement due to his primary authorship of the Manifesto and his postwar advocacy. The manifesto called for a break with Europe's past to form a new political system through a restructuring of politics and extensive social reform. It was presented not as an ideal, but as the best option for Europe's postwar condition.
• The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (TEEC), is an international agreement that led to the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC). It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands andWest Germany and came into force on 1 January 1958. It remains one of the two most important treaties in the modern-day European Union (EU). The TEEC proposed the progressive reduction of customs duties and the establishment of a customs union. It proposed to create a single market for goods, labour, services, and capital across the EEC's member states. It also proposed the creation of common transport and agriculture policies and a European social fund and established the European Commission. Since its signature, the treaty's name has been retrospectively amended on several occasions. The Maastricht Treaty of 1992 removed the word "economic" from the Treaty of Rome's official title and, in 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon renamed it the "Treaty on the functioning of the European Union".

directory

• http://europa.eu/whoiswho/public/

membership

• http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-reactions-stubb-idUSKCN0ZC0MP Britain will get a Norway-type deal to keep close economic ties with the European Union but will have no say on decision-making in the bloc after "Brexit" materializes, Finland's former prime minister Alexander Stubb said on Sunday. The shock British referendum result has put into question Europe's post-war order, sent stocks tumbling around the world and left the EU pondering how to handle the divorce. Stubb, who served as Finland's prime minister in 2014-15, said the EU should not push Britain into quickly launching a formal exit procedure. As a member of the European Economic Area, Norway gets access to EU's single market in exchange for contributing about 400 million euros a year to the EU budget. But it must accept EU's rules on the single market and free movement of people without a vote.
• Article 50

• http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21701795-who-can-trigger-article-50-article-destiny

legislation
- The Community acquis or acquis communautaire (/ˈækiː kəˈmjuːnətɛər/; French: [aˌki kɔmynoˈtɛːʁ]), sometimes called the EU acquis and often shortened to acquis, is the accumulated legislation, legal acts, and court decisions which constitute the body ofEuropean Union law. The term is French: acquis meaning "that which has been acquired or obtained", and communautaire meaning "of the community".




European External Action Service http://eeas.europa.eu/

• sanctions against russia in pic https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanExternalActionService/photos/a.162989110430466.42218.158402677555776/751862954876409/?type=1&fref=nf
• Alongside the EEAS, a new Commission service, the service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), was set up to take over responsibility for operational expenditure. 

• Eu business information programme

pesco

• http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/11/13/defence-cooperation-23-member-states-sign-joint-notification-on-pesco/ On 13 November 2017 ministers from 23 member states signed a joint notification on the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and handed it over to the High Representative and the Council. The possibility of the Permanent Structured Cooperation in the area of defence security and defence policy was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty. It foresees the possibility of a number of EU member states working more closely together in the area of security and defence. 

agency

• european food safety authority http://www.efsa.europa.eu/ The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was set up in January 2002, following a series of food crises in the late 1990s, as an independent source of scientific advice and communication on risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was created as part of a comprehensive programme to improve EU food safety, ensure a high level of consumer protection and restore and maintain confidence in the EU food supply.
• European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) http://echa.europa.eu 
• The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a European Union agency for the evaluation of medicinal products. Prior to 2004, it was known as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA).

association/institution

• The European Union Centers of Excellence in the United States is a network of eight university programs dedicated to the promotion of the study of the European Union as well as the strengthening of ties between the people of the EU and the United States.^[1][2] The centers operate through teaching programs, as well as academic research and community outreach. Their development has allowed for the growth and improvement of EU studies in US higher education and made them a source of information for a far-reaching US audience.

• The European Union (EU) Centre in Singapore is part of a global network of European Union Centres of Excellence. Following the launch of EU Centres of Excellence in the US and Canada in 1998, there are now 37 Centres located in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. The Singapore Centre, the first in Southeast Asia, opened in June 2008. It is a partnership between the European Commission, the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and the thinktank the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Its aim is to promote knowledge of the European Union and its policies. It organises speaker events, discussions and exhibitions; publishes books, papers and teaching materials; and sends staff to visit schools and colleges in Singapore.

- The European Round Table of Industrialists, abbreviated ERT, is an advocacy group in the European Union consisting of some 50 European industrial leaders working to strengthen competitiveness in Europe. The group works at both national and European levels. The roots of the European Round Table of Industrialists date back to the early 1980s. The European economy at that time, was regarded as suffering from eurosclerosis, which was perceived as a lack of dynamism, innovation and competitiveness when compared with the economies of Japan and the United States. The negative economic consequences of the competitive situation worried several leading European businesspeople. At the initiative of Pehr G. Gyllenhammar, the CEO of Volvo, 17 European businessmen met in the Paris boardroom of Volvo on 6 and 7 April 1983. They envisioned to create an organisation, which would be able to convey its message about the state of the economy to the European political leaders. The core message was that Europe needed to modernise its industrial bases in order to regain its competitiveness. The industry perceived a lack of a common European industrial development policy, in contrast to the European agricultural policy. 

budget

• https://www.ft.com/content/0a8799c6-1190-11e8-940e-08320fc2a277 Brussels is urging EU leaders to consider radical options such as raiding corporate tax receipts and money raised from selling carbon emission permits to fill a €15bn a year budget hole left by Brexit. The departure of the UK, the EU’s third-biggest net contributor to the budget in 2019, coupled with the need to find more money for priorities such as border control and joint defence, mean negotiations are likely to be even more poisonous than previous EU tussles over money.

- ?? ft 13dec18 "french and italian deficit cases differ, says brussels"

legislation

• http://eur-lex.europa.eu/browse/summaries.html 

committee

• Committee on herbal medicinal products

infrastructure fund

• http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1838516/china-could-invest-eu10b-eus-new-infrastructure-fund

association
- thinktank

• eurofi

• A not-for-profit organization created in 2000 chaired by David Wright who succeeded Jacques de Larosière as Chairman in April 2016.A platform for exchanges between the financial services industry and the public authorities addressing issues related to the financial regulation and supervision and the economic and monetary context impacting the EU financial sector.
• ft 10sep19 

conflict of interest
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/13/european-parliament-censures-czech-pm-andrej-babis-unprecedented-move The European parliament has formally censured the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, over conflict of interest accusations, in unprecedented criticism of a serving leader. MEPs called for the suspension of all EU payments to a business owned by the billionaire PM in a non-binding resolution adopted by 434 votes to 64, with 47 abstentions. The move will pile pressure on Babiš, who has been accused of a conflict of interest over his role as prime minister and links to Agrofert, the food, chemicals and agriculture conglomerate he founded. Thousands of protesters in Prague called on the tycoon-turned-politician to resign last month over separate corruption allegations. The Czech leader’s son recently said he had been lured to Crimea and abducted to stop him testifying about his father’s business interests.



trade and investment environment
- The European civil code (ECC) is a proposed harmonisation of private law across the European Union. The ultimate aim of a European civil code is, like a national civil code, to deal comprehensively with the core areas of private law. Private law typically covered in a civil code includes the family law, the law of inheritance, property law and the Law of Obligations. The law of obligations includes the law of contracts, delicts (or torts) and restitution. It was from work on European contract law that the push for a comprehensive European civil code arose. The development of a European civil code has primarily focused on creating a unified law of contracts. Thus, the term 'European civil code' is often used in specific reference to the harmonisation of contract law throughout the EU. 

• The idea of a unified European civil code can be traced to the idea of a unified Europe and the creation of the European Union. The European Parliament requested the creation of a European civil code in 1989,^[1] 1994 and 2000. A pragmatic approach has seen the proponents of a European civil code develop uniform laws in discrete areas before working towards a comprehensive European civil code. Development of a European code for contract law began in 1982 with the formation of the Commission on European Contract Law. This became known as the Lando Commission after its chairman Ole Lando. At the same time UNIDROIT began similar studies leading to their 1994 publication Principles for International Commercial Contracts. The Lando Commission focused on creating their Principles of European Contract Law (PECL). The first part of the PECL was published in 1995, followed by Part II in 1999 and the final Part III in 2003. These Principles of European Contract Law may eventually form one part of the European civil code.

- The Rome I Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations) is a regulation which governs the choice of law in the European Union. It is based upon and replaces the Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations 1980. The Rome I Regulation can be distinguished from the Brussels Regime which determines which court can hear a given dispute, as opposed to which law it should apply. The regulation applies to all EU member states except Denmark, which has an opt-out from implementing regulations under the area of freedom, security and justice. The Danish government planned to join the regulation if a referendum on 3 December 2015 approved converting its opt-out into an opt-in, but the proposal was rejected.^[1][2] While the United Kingdom originally opted-out of the regulation they subsequently decided to opt-in.The regulation sets out which law be used to interpret contracts with an international element (i.e. contracts agreed by parties in different countries). Pursuant to its Articles 28 and 29, the regulation came into force on 17 December 2009 and applies to contracts concluded after that date (beginning 18 December 2009).The broad principle of Rome I was not only to harmonise choice of law rules in contract but, subject to certain safeguards, maximise the freedom of the parties to choose the law governing their contractual relations.
- The Rome II Regulation (EC) No 864/2007 is a European Union Regulation regarding the conflict of laws on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations. From 11 January 2009, the Rome II Regulation creates a harmonised set of rules within the European Union to govern choice of law in civil and commercial matters (subject to certain exclusions) concerning non-contractual obligations, including specific rules for tort/delict and specific categories of tort/delict,^[1] unjust enrichment,^[2] negotiorum gestio^[3] and culpa in contrahendo. Additionally, in certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions, the parties may choose the law applicable to a non-contractual obligation.^[5] Analogous rules were established for contractual obligations by the Rome Convention of 1980. The Rome Convention has, in turn, been replaced by the Rome I Regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Reg. (EC) No. 593/2008). The regulation applies to all EU member states except Denmark.

• https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/21/eu-lawyer-members-must-approve-sweeping-trade-deals-brexit Any sweeping trade deals the EU wants to sign with other countries will have to be approved by member state governments, a senior EU lawyer has said, in an opinion that could deepen complications over Britain’s post-Brexit future. Eleanor Sharpston QC, an advocate general at the European court of justice, argued in a ruling released on Wednesday that an EU trade deal with Singapore could only be finalised by the EU and member states, and not by Brussels institutions acting alone.
• https://www.ft.com/content/52a46184-ed5c-11e6-930f-061b01e23655 Some officials have talked about Europe performing its own trade pivot to Asia as well as other emerging markets. But closer engagement, especially with China, at a time of global economic upheaval brings threats as well as opportunities that Europeans are only just beginning to consider. Europe has been seeking to intensify trade with Asia for more than a decade — signing deals with South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam — but the renewed overtures to the region mark an effort to prevent European trade liberalism becoming hostage to Mr Trump. The EU is redoubling its pursuit of trade deals. Brussels is in talks with 10 of the 12 TPP signatories; is continuing talks with Mercosur, the South American trade bloc including Brazil; and is considering a revival of trade talks with Gulf states that have been stalled since 2008.

• inward di

• Germany, the EU's financial powerhouse, has initiated EU legislation with France and Italy in order to be able to monitor foreign direct investment in the EU more closely.https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/911666/European-Union-China-foreign-investments-Germany-Matthias-Machnig-Merkel-Macron

• “New EU Trade and Investment Strategy” http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/ in-focus/new-trade-strategy/

• The new strategy, based on three key principles, will make EU trade policy more accountable by basing it on three key principles:
  • Effectiveness: Making sure trade actually delivers on its promise of new economic opportunities. That means addressing the issues that affect today’s economy, which involves services and digital trade. It also means providing the means and information necessary to ensure European small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), consumers and workers can take full advantage of – and adapt to – more open markets. This means, for instance, including effective provisions for SMEs in future trade agreements.
  • Transparency: Opening up negotiations to more public scrutiny by publishing key texts from all negotiations, as has been done in the TTIP negotiations. As of today, the Commission has already published some new texts (i.e. the Economic Partnership Agreements with East and West Africa) on its website.
  • Values: Safeguarding the European social and regulatory model at home. Using trade agreements and preference programmes as levers to promote, around the world, European values like sustainable development, human rights, fair and ethical trade and the fight against corruption. This means to include anti- corruption rules in the EU’s trade agreements, and to see that our trading partners implement provisions on core labour standards, like the rights of workers to organise and the abolition of child labour. It also means broadening efforts to ensure responsible management of supply chains.

• Eu law http://eur-lex.europa.eu/browse/summaries.html The Summaries of EU legislation inform on the main aspects of the European legislation, policies and activities in a clear, easy-to-read and concise way. These Summaries are intended for a general, non-specialized audience and cover 32 topics corresponding to the activities of the European Union.
• invest in Europe booklet http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/hong_kong/documents/page_content/20140527_invest_europe_brochure_en.pdf

- monetary

• https://www.ft.com/content/aac658e2-e42e-11e9-b112-9624ec9edc59
  Global authorities’ efforts to move capital markets on to a sounder base took a step forward on Wednesday after European authorities launched a new benchmark based on overnight deals. The new rate, called €STR, is intended to replace Eonia, a daily reference rate that reflects unsecured overnight lending between banks in the EU and which prices about €24tn of derivatives deals. The European Central Bank published the €STR rate for the first time on Wednesday, at a rate of minus 0.549 per cent based on Tuesday’s trading. Watchdogs around the world argue that well-known interbank lending rates such as Libor and Eonia have outlived their usefulness because there are so few transactions that underpin the market, and banks no longer want to contribute to it.

- Movement of natural persons

• http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:c11015 Mobility for students, trainees, young volunteers, teachers and trainers
• 監察組織「全球證人」發表最新報告，指英國、葡萄牙及西班牙等十三個歐盟成員國為挽救經濟危機，會向富有海外投資者「出售」護照與居留權，認為會帶來洗黑錢風險，要求歐盟制訂政策監管。歐盟上委員會周三回應事件，表示會提供指引規管成員國做法。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20181014/00180_020.html

- m&a

• https://www.ft.com/content/04fa752c-7dda-11e7-ab01-a13271d1ee9c Brussels will call for more rigorous screening of foreign takeovers of European companies, as it seeks to address mounting concerns about a surge of Chinese investment into the bloc’s high-tech manufacturing, energy and infrastructure sectors.
•  歐盟周二亦於布魯塞爾達成首項協議，同意建立一個針對外國投資的審查機制，以保歐洲各國安全，外界普遍認為新機制明顯針對中國的投資。據悉，協議草案由法國、德國和意大利提出，內容主要是保護歐洲戰略性技術和基建，前者包括半導體技術、機械人科技及人工智能技術；後者包括能源、通訊、金融業務等建設。主持今次會議的法國代表普魯斯特稱，這樣歐洲便有方法保護核心行業。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20181122/00178_004.html

- competition

• https://www.ft.com/content/7f0f8d90-d76e-11e8-a854-33d6f82e62f8 Brussels is to warn Siemens and Alstom of its concern that the companies’ plans to merge their rail business and create a European champion could harm EU competition. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, will send the German and French groups a so-called statement of objections within the next week, detailing fears that the combination could raise prices, cut choice and harm innovation, two people familiar with the case told the Financial Times.

-Vat

• http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21698694-reforms-vat-may-lead-more-democratic-convoluted-system-freedom-fighters

 - https://www.ft.com/content/8d4b3414-2756-11e7-8995-c35d0a61e61a European officials have revived their push for a European Monetary Fund to tackle future crises in the eurozone in place of the IMF, which has yet to say whether it will join the latest Greek bailout.

• banks

• https://www.ft.com/content/d35c54fa-b1aa-11e6-a37c-f4a01f1b0fa1 Germany and France are set to clash over a planned overhaul of EU banking regulations amid concerns in Berlin that the proposals fail to do enough to shield taxpayers from the costs of banking crises.

• clearing house

• European Parliament seeks to toughen clearing house rules ft 29sep17

• payment services directive

• The Payment Services Directive (PSD, Directive 2007/64/EC, replaced by PSD 2, Directive (EU) 2015/2366) is an EU Directive, administered by the European Commission (Directorate General Internal Market) to regulate payment services and payment service providers throughout the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). The Directive's purpose was to increase pan-European competition and participation in the payments industry also from non-banks, and to provide for a level playing field by harmonizing consumer protection and the rights and obligations for payment providers and users.

• fintech

• https://www.ft.com/content/a340b96a-e727-11e7-8b99-0191e45377ec
  Brussels will propose pan-EU licences to help some fintech companies operate across the bloc, as it fights US and Asian dominance of the burgeoning industry. The European Commission is to present draft legislation early next year to remove administrative hurdles to the cross-border operation of crowdfunding sites and online peer-to-peer lending services. It says the initiative will ensure that EU companies can grow and compete. The licensing plans, which could be extended to other parts of the fintech sector, are steps in an EU campaign to support an industry it hopes can compete with traditional banks.
•  歐洲央行昨日推出歐元區首個跨國電子支付系統TIPS，涵蓋歐元區全部19個國家，期望可與Google、亞馬遜或阿里巴巴等公司的電子錢包競爭，成為區內最主要的即時支付系統。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/12/01/a18-1201.pdf

• trust

• Brussels set to toughen rules on trust transparency ft 28feb17

• Insurance

• http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21684810-new-regulations-will-give-better-sense-soundness-europes-insurers-one

• Airlines

• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/246e2500-9c0b-11e5-b45d-4812f209f861.html The European Commission has announced it is prepared to dilute its requirements on foreign investment for European airlines — which cap non-European ownership of EU airlines at 49 per cent — through deals with individual countries. But the rules will only be loosened for states that agree to abide by stricter regulations on state subsidies, which have become a bone of contention between some EU legacy airlines and carriers based in the Middle East.
•  http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20160710/00176_043.html因管理不善而從全球最佳航空公司排名榜排名節節下跌的國泰航空，可能面臨巨額索償潮！國泰去年一班由倫敦返港的航班因機師行李藏刀，導致航班取消，機上二百六十二名乘客滯留當地十六小時。其中，一名受影響乘客為追討廿二點五英鎊（約二百五十港元）膳食費，經過數月多番追討始獲賠償，近日再憑「歐盟EC261/2004條例」一擊即中，獲賠六百歐元（約五千一百港元），批評國泰刻意隱瞞條款，呼籲其他同樣受影響乘客據理力爭。單以該班客機的乘客人數計算，國泰合共須賠償近十六萬歐元，相等於一百卅三萬港元。此外，不排除其他在歐盟地區有延誤的國泰客機乘客也可效法索賠，涉及人數及金額可能十分龐大。

• telecom

• 從本周四起，歐盟所有流動電訊商將不得再向客戶徵收歐盟區內漫遊費，除了是消費者一大福音外，亦兌現了歐洲一體化的一項重大承諾。目前漫遊費用佔歐洲電訊商收入約5%，歐盟委員會估計新措施生效後，電訊商收入將減少12億歐元(約104億港元)，不過由於業界早已有心理準備，近年亦已多番下調甚至取消收費，因此對電訊業界的整體影響相信有限。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/06/12/a23-0612.pdf

- Ict

•  英媒周三引述歐盟委員會的提案文件，揭示歐盟計劃建立「單一資訊市場」，以求打破由美國科技巨企壟斷資訊市場的現況。此舉被視為挑戰Facebook、Google、亞馬遜等美企，令歐洲企業可追上中美等地的競爭者。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20200131/00180_005.html
• http://incompliancemag.com/article/the-eus-new-radio-equipment-directive-red-201453eu/
•  https://www.ft.com/content/2cb47fc4-6955-11e8-b6eb-4acfcfb08c11
  The new European electronic communications code, the biggest shake-up in the sector’s governance since 2009, was approved on Wednesday after a 12-hour session in Brussels to set the new rules. The agreement coincided with the release of a European Court of Auditors report that showed the EU’s goal of connecting half of the region’s households to ultrafast broadband with speeds of 100 Mbps by 2020 was well behind target. As of mid-2017, it said, only 15 per cent of households had subscribed to such networks.

• search engine

• https://www.ft.com/content/0192f60a-27a5-11e8-b27e-cc62a39d57a0
  Brussels is preparing new EU-wide regulations that will specifically regulate online platforms and search engines for the first time, as it looks to bolster the rights of businesses and app makers that rely on companies including Google, Apple and Amazon to sell their services.  European policymakers have been considering ways to target “harmful” trading practices that allow tech giants to impose unfair trading conditions on companies that rely on their platforms. Currently, the issue has been left to individual member states. The EU’s planned proposal on “online intermediation services” was delayed in December, in part to extend its reach to cover search engines, according to a draft text seen by the Financial Times. Under the plans, the tech groups would be required to provide companies with more information about how their ranking algorithms work. They would also need to offer businesses, app makers and traders with a formal complaint process if they were demoted or de-listed without explanation.

•  https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/sep/12/eu-copyright-law-may-force-tech-giants-to-pay-billions-to-publishers-facebook-google Music companies, film-makers and media publishers could be in line for billions in payouts after EU lawmakers voted to accept controversial changes to copyright rules that aim to make tech companies including Facebook and Google share more of their revenue.

• 歐洲多國民眾於上周六，上街抗議歐洲議會周二就改革線上版權法表決，呼籲議員反對。有批評者認為該法一旦通過，將令網站自我審查；倡議者則指立法可捍衞原創者權益。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190325/00180_021.html

- Data protection

• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a Regulation in the making by which theEuropean Commission intends to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals within the European Union (EU). It also addresses export of personal data outside the EU. The Commission's primary objectives of the GDPR are to give citizens back the control of their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU. When GDPR takes effect it will replace the data protection directive (officially Directive 95/46/EC)  from 1995. A proposal for GDPR was released on 25 January 2012 and the EU Council aims for formal adoption in early 2016. The regulation will take effect after a two-year transition period and, unlike a Directive it does not require any enabling legislation to be passed by governments.
• e-privacy

•  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/proposal-eprivacy-regulationThe European Commission's proposal for a Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications aims at reinforcing trust and security in the Digital Single Market by updating the legal framework on ePrivacy.

• ONLINE ADVERTISERS WARN EU PRIVACY CRACKDOWN THREATENS 'ENTIRE INTERNET' ft 14dec16
• https://www.ft.com/content/ad3916e0-4459-11e7-8519-9f94ee97d996 Banks have just under a year to overhaul the way they handle customer data if they are to avoid big fines. But many of them are privately warning that the challenge is already looking insurmountable. All companies will need to work out what data they hold on their customers, where they hold it, if they have permission to do so, whether it is stored safely, and how they can extract it in an easily “portable” form or delete it if requested.  These are the main requirements of a new European data protection law that comes into force on 25 May 2018. It affects all companies holding data about EU citizens. Yet consultants say banks face the biggest challenges to comply in time because of the difficulty of changing their ageing and complex IT systems. 

• trade secrets

• http://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/intellectual-property/trade-secrets/index_en.htm

• Trademark

• The new European Community Trade Mark Regulation, as approved by Regulation (EU) 2015/2424 of the European Parliament, entered into force on March 23, 2016. Among other amendments, the provisions of Article 28(8) of the new Regulation substantially change the approach to interpretation of ICGS class headings included in the list of goods/services covered by EU trademarks applied for before June 2012. Previously, before June 22, 2012, a trade mark was deemed to be protected in respect of the entire range of ICGS goods and services included in the alphabetical list for that class provided that such trade mark was registered with reference to the heading of the respective ICGS class.

• energy market legislation

• https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/markets-and-consumers/market-legislation

• emission

• https://www.ft.com/content/4c185f00-bc92-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080 The European Commission is set to start legal action against countries including Germany and the UK for failing to clamp down on the emissions cheating exposed by the “dieselgate” scandal.

• dairy products

• http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170125/00180_006.html 來自比利時、德國、法國、荷蘭等地的奶農，周一在比利時布魯塞爾的歐盟總部外，抗議歐盟將奶製品存貨推出市場，令產品價格下跌，影響收入。奶農將數以噸計的奶粉倒向大樓，現場披上一層奶白色。歐盟官員指奶製品價格較以往增加百分之二十五，對奶農做法表示不解。

• insecticide

• European Union countries backed a proposal on Friday to ban all use outdoors of insecticides known as neonicotinoids that studies have shown can harm bees.The ban, championed by environmental activists, covers the use of three active substances - imidacloprid developed by Bayer CropScience, clothianidin developed by Takeda Chemical Industries and Bayer CropScience as well as Syngenta’s thiamethoxam.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-environment-bees/eu-nations-back-ban-on-insecticides-to-protect-honey-bees-idUSKBN1HY11W

- company formation

• http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/company/societas-europaea/index_en.htm The European Company (also known by its Latin name Societas Europaea or SE) is a type of public limited-liability company regulated under EU law.

- energy

• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21639577-european-union-heads-battle-national-governments-energy-only-connect ENERGY, the European Commission believes, should flow freely to and between EU members. So Maros Sefcovic, the energy commissioner, has two adversaries. One is Russia, which is trying to keep its chokehold on gas supplies to eastern Europe. The other is EU national governments and their state-owned companies. They like the clout of national energy markets and dislike the way that cross-border trade in gas and electricity erodes it.
• Biogas

• http://www.biofuelstp.eu/biogas.html

- anti-dumping

• http://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1609134/eu-considers-keeping-chinese-steel-pipe-tariffs, http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-10/08/content_18706480.htm The European Union has threatened to renew tariffs on aluminum foil from China and Brazil for another five years while letting lapse a similar levy against Armenia.

- subsidy

• http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-usa-aircraft-idUSKCN11S1TN The World Trade Organization said on Thursday the European Union had failed to rein in billions of dollars in subsidies to planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA), ratcheting up tensions in the battle for airliner orders worth trillions of dollars a decade. The ruling is part of a series of tit-for-tat transatlantic complaints about aircraft subsidies that together make up the world's largest trade dispute, still raging after 12 years of bitter arguments over support for Airbus and its rival Boeing.
• 歐盟日前下令要求法國向愛爾蘭廉航瑞安航空公司，追回八百五十萬歐元（約七千四百萬港元）援助。歐盟認為，瑞安航空收受了法國南部旅遊協會「APFTE」的援助，以使用南部蒙彼利埃機場；瑞安則在網站上為蒙彼利埃和附近地區推廣旅遊。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190806/00180_018.html

- agriculture

•  http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20160828/00184_012.html 歐盟一四年宣布加強管制香水，一五年起業界禁用三種或引起過敏的香水成分，多款行銷全球的國際品牌香水受影響，隨時因改變配方無法重現「原味」，被 傳統擁戴者離棄。歐盟堅稱新例是為維護消費者，另方面，業界埋怨歐盟每事管太專制，小事化大，逼業界冒着失去傳統客路的風險更改配方。這場散發濃烈火藥味 的香水配方風波，反映歐盟推動政經一體化採取之大大小小措施，不免與傳統和地方特色相牴觸。歐盟目前實施的農業補貼制度，不利部分成員國維持傳統。全球各地央行猛印銀紙，熱錢追逐有形資產，加上糧食供應愈加緊張，投資農地 回報率大增。歐盟補貼按耕地面積大小發放，實力雄厚的大戶斥巨資收購農地，每年從歐盟獲取的補貼以數百萬歐元計，疑歐派人士口中的「土地攫掠」問題變本加 厲。歐盟東歐新成員地價相對廉宜，吸引歐盟富國投資者蜂擁前往匈牙利購地，保加利亞和羅馬尼亞加入歐盟後，兩國落入西歐大戶的農地面積大增。以○七年加入歐盟的羅馬尼亞為例，該國百分之八可耕作土地由外資持有，意大利投資者持最多農地，德國、奧地利、丹麥和荷蘭等緊隨其後。大戶購入農地後傾向種植商業農作物，單一種植、施放農藥損害「生物多樣性」，是人所共知的事情。對羅馬尼亞這個走在「蜂蜜治療」最 前線的國家而言，該國商業耕作比率持續上升，威脅該國蜂群生存環境，該國源遠流長的蜂療業也受牽連。所謂蜂療，是指以蜂蜜、蜂蠟以至蜜蜂毒液等治病之另類 療法。七四年成立的羅馬尼亞蜂療學院負責照顧本土蜂群，及銷售數十款獲認證的產品。

- quota on dairy products

• http://www.economist.com/news/business/21644159-end-quotas-frees-efficient-european-dairy-farms-expand-letting-cream-rise CHINESE mothers are feeding their infants more milk-based formula. Aspiring Russians have grown addicted to decadent foreign cheeses. In most emerging markets the consumption of dairy products is growing. So it looks like the perfect time for one of the world’s biggest dairy-farming regions to throw off its shackles. Next month the European Union is due to abolish its national quotas on milk production, allowing those big dairy producers being held back by their limits—including Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark and Ireland—to expand output and seek new export markets.

- cheese

• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/be1eb642-20cd-11e5-aa5a-398b2169cf79.html For years, Italy and Brussels have squabbled, made peace and fought again over how to regulate food and wine produced in the eurozone’s third’s-largest economy. But a new row has now burst into the open after the EU demanded that Italy scrap a 1974 law — banning the use of powdered and condensed milk in cheese — on the grounds that it represents a “restriction to the free movement of goods”. “This is a question exclusively related to the functioning of the EU single market — it has nothing to do with the EU’s quality policy and it is certainly no ‘diktat’, as has been suggested in certain media articles,” said a European Commission spokesman.

- seafood slavery

• http://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/18/the-associated-press-eu-demands-thailand-address-slavery-in-its-seafood-industry.html 

- telecom row with china

• chinese government to consider restricting export credit of huawei and zhongxin to end trade row with eu http://www.hkcd.com.hk/pdf/201410/1010/HZ15A10CZXX.pdf, wenwei 10oct14 a11
• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/19b61124-5858-11e4-b331-00144feab7de.html The EU has dropped an anti-subsidies case against two Chinese telecoms companies as Brussels seeks to repair trade relations with Beijing and distance itself from Washington’s more confrontational approach.

- labour

• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21701806-eu-may-force-labour-exporters-pay-local-union-wages-going-posted

- welfare

• 歐法院裁決 可拒救濟新移民
  指無經濟貢獻 開先河打擊「福利旅遊」http://www.hket.com/eti/article/e7ba5469-85f9-432f-9b8f-5aa73465c116-756907?ref=facebook, http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21632571-european-court-justice-lets-governments-restrict-migrant-benefits-benefits-tourism-not-ok

- travel

• 歐盟二○二一年起推出遊客入境新規定。為加強邊境保安，歐盟規定包括港人在內的指定遊客，二○二一年起需在出發前上網填報個人資料，包括姓名、出生日期、旅遊證件、地址及聯絡方法等資料，申報人需要繳付七歐元手續費。這項規定早於前年年底已透過互聯網公布，近日有海外旅遊網站再次報道該消息再惹關注，不過，歐盟堅稱這並非一項變相的簽證，旨為加強神根地區免簽證遊客的身份鑑別，推該項歐盟旅行資訊及授權系統（ETIAS），特區護照持有人適用。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20181013/00176_036.html

- drugs, medicine

• european medicines verification system 

• economist 9feb2020 "phantom fakes"

- study in Europe

• booklet published by EU office in HK and Macau http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/hong_kong/documents/page_content/eu_brochure_f_en.pdf

- trade stat

• trade stat http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113387.pdf

- promotion programme for EU meat http://www.eu-meat.eu/
- solar panel trade dispute http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/30/us-eu-china-solar-idUSKBN0FZ0TX20140730, http://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1562989/eu-china-solar-deal-fails-offer-dumping-protection

• The Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that the European Union's recent decisions on tariffs on Chinese solar panels were a positive step toward market normalization, and it hopes that the EU will completely scrap such measures. On Saturday, the EU issued its final announcement that it will limit China's solar panel exports by setting a minimum import price. The regulation will be implemented from Oct 1, and the minimum import price will be set step-by-step. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-09/19/content_32184846.htm

- rural development

• http://enrd.ec.europa.eu/enrd-static/country/en/country-information_en.html

- Caspian ties

• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f73e0e3c-bc05-11e4-a6d7-00144feab7de.html The EU is stepping up a charm offensive in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan as relations with Russia worsen, in a drive to put the gas-rich but politically sensitive countries at the heart of the bloc’s energy strategy. Brussels will unveil its long-term energy blueprint on Wednesday. Early drafts of the plan seen by the Financial Times show the EU will pledge to “use all its foreign policy instruments to establish strategic energy partnerships” with alternative suppliers such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Algeria.

- information

• http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/eu-regions-and-cities-matter--pbQG0415653/?CatalogCategoryID=luYKABst3IwAAAEjxJEY4e5L

usa

• ttip

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/08/28/eus-ttip-trade-deal-with-the-us-has-collapsed-says-germany/

• http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-usa-ttip-france-idUSKCN1150H2 France cast  serious doubt on Tuesday on the prospects of an EU free trade deal with the United States, adding to opposition within Germany and growing scepticism among Americans.Washington and Brussels are officially committed to sealing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves office in January, but their chances of doing so are being eroded by approaching elections on both sides of the Atlantic and Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.

• Amid concern over the growing risk of a breakdown in the negotiations, the countries have urged Cecilia Malmström, EU trade commissioner, to focus attention on “remaining issues” in the talks with Washington.The signatories of the letter include the trade ministers of Sweden, Finland, Spain, Italy and Britain while Germany and France were notably absent.At high levels in the German and French governments, ministers have questioned whether the negotiation can proceed. Angela Merkel , German chancellor, supports talks on the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) but François Hollande, French president, sees little hope of a deal in the short term.Saying they looked forward to continued talks with Washington, the 12 ministers said they were confident that Europe’s objectives for a free-trade deal with the US could be met. “Thus we reiterate our commitment and support given to the commission in the negotiations,” they said.The other signatories were Portugal, Ireland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark and Lithuania.https://www.ft.com/content/525eef48-7b5e-11e6-ae24-f193b105145e

• https://www.ft.com/content/c0956392-b886-11e6-961e-a1acd97f622d American banks are warning they will be unable to comply with the EU’s plan to force them to set up European holding companies because the proposals are at odds with existing US regulations.
• https://www.ft.com/content/cdaa0b76-f20d-11e6-8758-6876151821a6 The EU and other US trading partners have begun laying the groundwork for a legal challenge to a US border tax proposal in a move that could trigger the biggest case in World Trade Organisation history.
  Jyrki Katainen, the European Commission vice-president who oversees EU trade policy, told the Financial Times that Europe wanted to avoid a trade war with the US as that would be “disastrous” for the world economy.  But he made clear the EU would be willing to act against the US whether it was related to a border tax proposal or the erection of other arbitrary trade barriers. 
• Europe's top trade official said Wednesday that new U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs are distorting global trade and could damage hopes for economic growth. Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Union's trade commissioner, also said the bloc would not offer any concessions in order to be exempt from the U.S. import duties ahead of a May 1 deadline in talks. 
  Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-5629041/EU-says-US-tariffs-causing-distortion-global-trade.html

• 美國宣布向歐盟進口的鋼鐵及鋁材徵收更高關稅，歐盟作出強硬回應，向美國進口貨物進行反擊性加稅，宣布自上周五起，由美國進入歐盟國家的產品，均會增加兩成五稅項，意味美國製造的產品在歐盟國家銷售的價錢將會更貴。被加徵關稅的美國進口產品總值廿四億歐元（約二百二十億港元），主要包括佛州橙汁、含有小紅莓汁的雞尾酒、威士忌和化妝品等，加幅最高可達兩成五。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180625/00180_005.html

- beef

• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-eu-beef/eu-seals-deal-to-boost-u-s-beef-imports-sources-idUSKCN1TE2HV The European Union has agreed a deal to allow U.S. farmers a larger share of Europe’s beef market, EU sources and diplomats said, in a move that could help to defuse transatlantic trade tensions. The deal will result in the United States securing a guaranteed share of a 45,000 tonne EU quota for hormone-free beef. The quota was agreed in 2009 to settle a dispute between the two over an EU ban on the use of growth hormones in meat.

canada

• Objections from Romania and the Wallonia region of Belgium are threatening to impede a showpiece EU trade deal with Canada, highlighting the potential pitfalls for the UK if it votes to leave the bloc in its June 23 In/Out referendum.https://next.ft.com/content/850eb60a-086b-11e6-b6d3-746f8e9cdd33

• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21702231-one-brussels-biggest-trade-deals-looks-uncertain-after-brexit-fear-maple-menace
•  https://www.ft.com/content/8fdeca10-95f2-11e6-a1dc-bdf38d484582 European leaders are redoubling efforts to settle a Canadian deal that stalled and called into question the EU’s power to conclude new trade agreements amid fears of institutional paralysis. 
•  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3887568/EU-finally-signs-free-trade-deal-Canada-SEVEN-YEARS-talks.html
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-14/italy-picks-another-fight-with-eu-targeting-canada-trade-deal Italy is refusing to ratify a European Union free-trade accord with Canada, the bloc’s most ambitious commercial deal to date, as the populist government aims to upend decades of consensus in Brussels. After less than two weeks in office, the hard-line interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has already sparked a diplomatic incident with France over immigration. Now his party colleague, Agriculture Minister Gian Marco Centinaio, is stirring up opposition to the signature achievement of EU trade policy. “We will not ratify the free-trade treaty with Canada,” Centinaio said in an interview with La Stampa newspaper published Thursday. “Doubts about this deal are common among many of my European colleagues.”

mexico

• fta

• The European Union has still not yet reached a unified position on cross-border data flows in trade agreements – an issue during Trade in Services Agreement and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks – as eveidenced by a proposal it has tabled in negotiations with Mexico over updates to a bilateral trade agreement. The EU's proposal on digital trade , dated April and published this month, leaves a placeholder for provisions on data flows and data localization.  https://insidetrade.com/trade/eu-digital-trade-proposal-mexican-fta-talks-shows-it-still-lacks-data-flows-position  Mexico and the European Union are expected to wrap up by the end of this year negotiations for a new free trade agreement china daily 10may17

efta
- The Brussels Regime is a set of rules regulating which courts have jurisdiction in legal disputes of a civil or commercial nature between individuals resident in different member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). It has detailed rules assigning jurisdiction for the dispute to be heard and governs the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.Recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial cases was originally accomplished within the European Communities by the 1968 Brussels convention: a treaty signed by the then six members of the Communities.^[1] This treaty was amended on several occasions and has now been almost completely superseded by a regulation adopted in 2001, the Brussels I regulation. Today the convention only applies between the 15 pre-2004 members of the European Union and certain territories of EU member states that are outside the Union: Aruba, the French overseas territories and Mayotte.^[2] It is intended that the Brussels Convention will be replaced by the new Lugano Convention, the latter being open to ratification by EU member states acting on behalf of non-European territories which belong to that member state. Until 1 February 2020 all instruments applied in the UK as a result of its EU membership. After that date, under the conditions of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, the instruments remain applicable there, despite Brexit, during a transion period.In 1988, the then 12 member states of the European Communities signed a treaty, the Lugano Convention with the then six members of the European Free Trade Association: Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.^[3][4] The Lugano Convention served to extend the recognition regime to EFTA member state who are not eligible to sign the Brussels Convention. Other than the original signatories–three of which left EFTA to join the EU in 1995–only Poland has subsequently acceded to the Lugano Convention. Liechtenstein, the only state to accede to the EFTA after 1988, has not signed either the 1988 Convention or its successor, the 2007 Lugano Convention.

russia
- 俄羅斯於二○一四年吞併烏克蘭克里米亞半島後，被褫奪了於歐洲委員會議會的投票權。在烏克蘭強烈反對下，議會周一晚投票通過讓俄羅斯重新派代表參與會議，為該國參加周三的秘書長選舉投票鋪平道路。莫斯科早前威脅若不獲准投票，就徹底退出組織，其國民將無法向歐洲人權法院申訴。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190626/00180_025.html

uk

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/11/jean-claude-juncker-doubts-eu-will-remain-united-brexit-talks/
• https://www.ft.com/content/fee00982-236e-11e8-add1-0e8958b189ea
  The EU is investigating whether Britain has failed to respect single market laws by not imposing enough tax on commodity derivatives trades, according to the UK Treasury. At present, Britain applies no VAT to derivatives transactions in spot, futures and options on commodities contracts, if they are traded on an exchange. The European Commission on Thursday began “infraction proceedings” against the UK for that tax treatment. London is home to two of the EU’s largest commodities exchanges — Intercontinental Exchange and the London Metal Exchange — as well as smaller specialist markets and a wide network of brokers and other commodities trading houses. In 1977, the UK got special permission from the EU that meant it did not have to charge VAT on certain types of commodities transaction. The commission is now challenging how the UK has applied that carve-out as markets — and the instruments traded on them — have become more complex.

- 歐盟委員會昨日亦公布，已訂下保障英歐之間往來正常的十四項臨時計劃，希望避免硬脫歐帶來重大傷害。歐盟重申，措施不能解決所有可預見問題。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20181220/00180_020.html
- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-commissioner-uk-brexit-delay-boris-johnson-article-50-extension-a9203371.html Brussels has launched legal action against the UK over Boris Johnson‘s failure to nominate a new EU commissioner to send to Brussels.In a statement the European Commission said it had issued “a formal letter of notice” to the British government ”for breaching its EU treaty obligations” and would be starting infringement proceedings.Mr Johnson has so far refused to nominate a candidate for the incoming EU executive, stating that it is convention that such senior appointments cannot be made by the government during an election period.

germany
- On Sunday, the European Commission threatened to sue the EU’s dominant economy after the German top court questioned the legality of the European Central Bank’s bond-buying program. With the 27-nation bloc ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, the standoff has major implications for the European project itself and the monetary policy that underpins it.Germany’s constitutional court decided last week it wouldn’t follow a 2018 judgment by the EU Court of Justice that cleared the central bank’s debt purchases, totaling 2.7 trillion euros (US$2.9 trillion) since 2015. But under EU treaties, the top European court ranks higher. The German judges said they could deviate because the bloc’s top judges overstepped their powers when they backed the ECB’s policy in a previous ruling. It was a stinging challenge to the 68-year-old EU tribunal. That prompted a rebuke by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday. “The final word on EU law is always spoken” by the European court, she said. “Nowhere else.”https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/130066#European-Commission-threatens-to-sue-Germany

netherlands

• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21695890-dutch-referendum-threatens-eu-trade-deal-ukraine-dissociative-disorder

switzerland
- https://www.reuters.com/article/swiss-eu/eu-to-offer-swiss-exchanges-6-month-reprieve-time-until-june-to-agree-new-treaty-sources-idUSB5N1SU02O The European Commission decided on Tuesday to offer Switzerland six additional months to agree on a new treaty that will govern the country’s future relations with the European Union, two EU sources told Reuters. The political decision, which is to be formalised after talks with EU leaders at a summit in Brussels later this week, would allow Swiss stocks exchanges to maintain their access to EU clients until June under a temporary extension of the so-called “equivalence” regime that permits foreign financial firms to operate in the 28-country bloc. Last Friday, the Swiss government dodged an EU deadline to agree on a draft treaty by the end of this year and said it would revisit the subject in spring 2019 after political consultations. 

poland

• Brussels gives Poland 3 months to rectify court changes https://next.ft.com/content/6991485e-53f0-11e6-9664-e0bdc13c3bef The European Commission on Wednesday moved to advance its disciplinary procedure against Poland in a case that revolves around changes made to the country’s Constitutional Tribunal by the rightwing and Eurosceptic Law and Justice party. Critics say those changes have left the court paralysed and unable to act as a check on parliamentary power.

• EU pressures Warsaw over ‘unconstitutional’ justice reforms ft 17may17

- https://www.ft.com/content/143eff16-e5c6-11e9-b112-9624ec9edc59 Polish consumers with mortgages linked to the Swiss franc can ask national courts to annul them, the EU’s top court ruled on Thursday. More than half a million Poles took out loans linked to the franc in the years after Poland joined the EU, drawn by the prospect of lower interest rates. But when the franc surged in the financial crisis, and again in 2015, borrowers found themselves facing higher repayments. Thousands went to court to challenge their contracts, in particular clauses that set how banks calculated repayments. The European Court of Justice said on Thursday that terms deemed unfair in Polish mortgage contracts could not simply be replaced by general provisions of Polish law. It added that, if removing these unfair clauses altered the original contracts in a way that was inadmissible under Polish law, EU law did not preclude them being annulled. Swiss franc mortgage holders welcomed the ECJ’s verdict as a “huge breakthrough”. “The ruling confirms that banks in Poland have to apply the same standards of honesty as in other EU countries,” said Stop Banking Lawlessness, a group representing borrowers. However, analysts said that the ECJ’s ruling was not as bad as it could have been for Polish banks because it left it up to Polish courts to determine which contracts contained unfair clauses on a case-by-case basis, a process that could take years. An index of Polish banking stocks was down only 0.5 per cent in afternoon trading.


turkey

• http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20160309/00192_001.html 歐盟與土耳其召開特別峰會商討難民問題，土國總理達烏特奧盧有備而來，他在會議末段開出四項條件，若歐盟同意這些條件，土國會履行承諾助歐遏止難民潮。與會歐盟成員代表始料不及，最終決定為何要等到本月十八至十九日召開峰會時才有分曉，土方條件有多難啃可想而知。若歐盟想土國接收滯留希臘又無望獲歐盟收容之敍國難民，必須同時間接收土國境內敍國難民，比例是一對一。撇除法律上考慮，此安排對歐盟不利。土國守備西南邊界力不從心，無絕對把握阻止難民乘蛇船出航，歐盟答應一換一，未必有助紓緩希臘壓力，平白讓土國佔便宜乎？這教人懷疑，疑歐勢力暗中給土方教路，藉以破壞歐土談判、從而重創歐洲一體化工程。土國獅子開大口，歐盟一體化正反陣營之角力相信愈演愈烈。

balkans
- 位於巴 爾幹半島的阿爾巴尼亞和北馬其頓，原定在 歐盟峰會上獲「開綠燈」，展開入歐談判， 不過卻意外地因為法國為首的少數國家反 對，導致談判未能展開。歐盟委員會主席容 克狠批法國犯下「歷史大錯」，北馬其頓總 理扎埃夫亦警告此事將令巴爾幹局勢不穩。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2019/10/19/a19-1019.pdf


Japan
- economic partnership agreement http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/eu-japan-economic-partnership-agreement/

• https://www.ft.com/content/c46efa8c-ba20-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080 Brussels is “very close” to a free-trade deal with Japan as negotiators seek to ease anxiety in Tokyo that an agreement could run into the same kind of political trouble that nearly took down the EU-Canada trade pact.

• 前日報道，歐盟和日本將敲定歷來最大規模的自由貿易協定，最快本周宣佈達成協議，該協定將加強日歐雙方的貿易聯繫，或進一步孤立在總統特朗普帶領下走上保護主義的美國。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/06/26/a23-0626.pdf
•  EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono have announced the positive conclusion of four years’ negotiations between the two countries.‘This agreement represents the most significant and far-reaching deal ever concluded by the EU in agri-food trade. It will provide huge growth opportunities for our agri-food exporters in a very large, mature and sophisticated market. We have been successful in developing a model free trade agreement that fits our export profile, while still delivering a mutually beneficial agreement with our partner,’ said Phil Hogan, EU commissioner for agriculture and rural development. ‘Today, Japan is the fifth largest export market for EU wines – but we can do much better. Once entered into force, the agreement will improve access for our wines and will level the playing field with our main competitors in this key market,’ said Jean-Marie Barillère, president of Comité Européen des Entreprises Vin (CEEV). ‘http://www.vinexpo-newsroom.com/beer-sake-embargoed-north-korea-says-eu/
•  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/eu-japan-free-trade-deal-brexit-uk-leave-asia-a8450476.html The European Union and Japan are signing a widespread trade deal that will eliminate nearly all tariffs, seemingly defying the worries about trade tensions set off by President Donald Trump's policies. The signing in Tokyo on Tuesday for the deal, largely reached late last year, is ceremonial. It was delayed from earlier this month because Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall. More than 200 people died from flooding and landslides. Both sides are heralding the deal, which covers a third of the global economy and more than 600 million people. Prices of European wine and pork will fall for Japanese consumers. Japanese machinery parts, tea and fish will get cheaper for Europe. The deal eliminates about 99 percent of the tariffs on Japanese goods to the EU, but remaining at around 94 percent for European imports into Japan for now and rising to 99 percent over the years. The difference is due to exceptions such as rice, a product that's culturally and politically sensitive and has been protected for decades in Japan. The major step towards liberalising trade was discussed in talks since 2013 but is striking in the timing of the signing, as China and the US are embroiled in trade conflicts. The US is proposing 10 per cent tariffs on a $200bn list of Chinese goods. That follows an earlier move by Washington to impose 25 per cent tariffs on $34bn of Chinese goods. Beijing has responded by imposing identical penalties on a similar amount of American imports.

• uk

• https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/trade-with-thecomprehensive-and-progressive-agreement-for-trans-pacific-partnershipcptpp
•  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/832819/Information-pack-UK-Japan-FTA-call-for-input.pdf

- 日本首相安倍晉三上周五在比利時布魯塞爾的歐盟會議上表明，有意與歐盟合作，在東歐和非洲地區推進高質量基礎設施建設。雙方簽署加強基建合作的協議文件，此舉被視為日歐攜手，抗衡中國以「一帶一路」擴大影響力的計劃。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190929/00178_007.html

thailand
- https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3033468/thailand-reopens-free-trade-talks-eu-reduce-reliance-china The European Union has restarted talks with Thailand on a potential free trade agreement, just days after unfreezing a deadlock put in place by the previous military junta that ruled one of Southeast Asia’s more advanced economies. The resumption of talks comes as Thailand seeks to diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on China, which accounted for 14 per cent of the country’s total foreign direct investment in 2018. Sasiwat Wongsinsawat, director general of the Thai foreign ministry’s department of European affairs, held talks in Brussels on Wednesday with top EU officials in charge of Asia.


philippines
-The EU-Philippines Business Network (EPBN) is a project co-funded by the EU and implemented by a consortium of European Chambers of Commerce based in the Philippines. Its aim is to provide a support framework for European companies, especially SMEs, interested in exporting to or investing in the Philippines. http://www.epbn.ph/about-us/overview
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170520/00192_001.html 菲律賓總統府日前表示，總統杜特爾特已經接受財政部的建議，今後不再接受歐盟有條件的經濟援助，這也是避免他們干預太多內政問題。

malaysia
- 歐盟日前公布文件指，棕櫚油在種植過程中危害環境，計劃限制入口。馬來西亞總理馬哈蒂爾周日在雪蘭莪州表示，若歐盟繼續污衊馬來西亞棕櫚油產品及制裁馬國，馬國將杯葛歐盟飛機，並改向中國及其他國家購買。他又指周日凌晨剛從巴基斯坦外訪回國，見證了巴國從中國購買的六架戰機表演飛行特技，令他耳目一新。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20190326/00180_017.html

indonesia
- 印尼貿易部因認為歐盟就棕櫚油生物燃料的限制不公平，周日表示已在世界貿易組織（WTO）向歐盟提出訴訟。印尼對外貿易總幹事瓦爾達納則表示，歐盟的政策不僅會影響印尼對歐洲的棕櫚油出口，而且會破壞全球棕櫚油產品的形象。https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20191217/00180_008.html

vietnam
- http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-06/30/c_138186753.htm
The European Commission (EC) and the Vietnamese government said in a joint statement that they welcome Sunday's signing of a free trade agreement and hope for a swift ratification in their legislatures. The joint statement, available on the EC's website, hailed the deal as the most ambitious free trade deal between the European Union (EU) and an emerging economy to date, based on the joint commitment of the two sides to open, fair, and rules-based trade liberalisation and economic integration. The agreement was signed in Hanoi. Its effect would include the almost complete (99 percent) elimination of customs duties between the two trading partners, with a combined population of nearly 600 million. The two sides also signed an investment protection agreement.

China
- china's policy paper on eu http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/18/c_137681829.htm
- leaders summit

•  16日，國務院總理李克強在北京同歐洲理事會主席圖斯克、歐盟委員會主席容克共同主持第二十次中國歐盟領導人會晤。會晤後，雙方發表聯合聲明指出，作為全面戰略夥伴，中歐將加強全球層面的夥伴關係，以推動和平、安全和可持續發展。雙方堅定致力於打造開放型世界經濟，提高貿易投資自由化便利化，抵制保護主義與單邊主義，推動更加開放、平衡、包容和普惠的全球化。雙方堅定支持以世貿組織為核心、以規則為基礎、透明、非歧視、開放和包容的多邊貿易體制並承諾遵守現行世貿規則。李克強指出，今天中歐雙方交換了協定清單出價，標誌着談判進入新階段。中國政府前不久發布了新的外商投資准入負面清單，將進一步放寬市場准入。希望歐方抓住機遇，擴大對華貿易和投資，放寬對華高技術出口限制，同時為中國企業赴歐投資創造公平、透明的良好環境。《第二十次中國歐盟領導人會晤聯合聲明》共包括44項。聲明表明，中歐承諾就世貿組織改革開展合作，以迎接新挑戰，並為此建立世貿組織改革副部級聯合工作組。雙方承諾加強中歐知識產權對話，深化知識產權保護合作，並充分利用新的技術合作項目。雙方歡迎「IP Key China」項目的成功啟動以及《中歐海關知識產權合作行動計劃（2018-2020）》的簽署。雙方同意在打擊知識產權侵權行為方面加強合作。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20180717/PDF/a3_screen.pdf
•  中國國務院總理李克強當地時間4月8日下午乘專機抵達比利時首都布魯塞爾國際機場，將同歐盟領導人舉行第二十一次中國─歐盟領導人會晤。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20190409/PDF/a6_screen.pdf

• 當地時間4月9日下午，中國國務院總理李克強在比利時布魯塞爾同歐洲理事會主席圖斯克、歐盟委員會主席容克共同主持第二十一次中國－歐盟領導人會晤。會晤後，雙方一致同意發表《第二十一次中國－歐盟領導人會晤聯合聲明》（下稱《聯合聲明》）。《聯合聲明》指出，雙方堅定支持以規則為基礎、以世界貿易組織為核心的多邊貿易體制，反對單邊主義和保護主義，並致力於遵守世貿組織規則。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2019/04/10/a05-0410.pdf
•  當地時間4月9日，中國國務院總理李克強在克羅地亞《晨報》、《晚報》等主流媒體發表題為《多彩的國度 廣闊的前景》的署名文章。李克強在文章中指出，「16+1合作」（中國和中東歐16國）完全可以打造成「一帶一路」倡議與歐亞互聯互通戰略相對接的重要平台。歡迎感興趣的國家結合具體項目實質性參與16+1框架下第三方合作。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20190410/PDF/a6_screen.pdf

- senior officials visit

• http://www.chinadailyasia.com/nation/2017-04/19/content_15601821.html China and the European Union should jointly press ahead with economic globalization and free and fair trade, Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday. Li made the remark at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in central Beijing as he met with Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission. China and the EU should "jointly send positive signals of maintaining regional stability and world peace, facing global challenges, reforming and perfecting the international governance system and pushing forward economic globalization and free and fair trade", Li said, according to a news release issued after the meeting.
•  http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2122588/senior-eu-official-pushes-china-live-xi-jinpings Valdis Dombrovskis, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the euro and social dialogue, also said China and Europe should set aside their differences on contentious trade issues and look to strengthen their cooperation in economic and environmental matters.

- association

• EU chamber of commerce in china

• china daily 24jul19

- Premier Li suggested an FTA with EU hket 13oct14 a24

- wto

• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2016-06/24/content_25830271.htmThe European Union's new strategy on China will accelerate the pace ofcooperation, especially in the areas of trade and market status under the WorldTrade Organization rules, analysts said. The strategy was set up in a joint communication issued on Wednesday by theEuropean Commission and the European Parliament. The document said that Europe sees China as a partner, which is rapidly increasingits international influence and should be more closely engaged for the next fiveyears. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that China iswilling to develop ties with the European Union from long-term perspective aftergaining this information and China is urging that EU members to grant marketeconomy status to China in December.
•  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-china-trade/eu-singles-out-china-as-distorted-state-run-economy-idUSKBN1EE1YY The European Union introduced new rules on Wednesday to guard against excessively cheap imports and singled out China for special attention in a report spelling out how its economy is distorted by the state.

• gpa

•  據中國商務部網站消息，劉鶴在第七次中歐經貿高層對話後，與歐委會卡泰寧副主席共見記者。劉鶴說，雙方就中方加入《政府採購協定》進行了交流，同意共同努 力，加快中方加入《政府採購協定》（GPA）進程。雙方同意推動實現農產品市場准入、有機產品認證互認對等。歐方同意加快推進相關立法進程，並就給予中方 認證機構相關認證資格制定時間表。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/06/26/a08-0626.pdf

• intellectual property

• 歐盟周五再向世界貿易組織（WTO）投訴中國，稱近日找到更多證據，證明中國在管理外資企業及保護他們的知識產權方面有不當行為。歐盟指，歐企多個領域的合資公司、農作物種子及電動車進入中國市場時，被迫有系統地轉移敏感技術及知識。歐盟認為中方的行為違反了其於二○○一年加入世貿時作出的承諾。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20181222/00180_007.html

- 有德國傳媒引述歐洲議會國際貿易委員會主席朗格表示，北京加大對中東歐的投資，可能是間接換取對歐洲政治的影響力，必須檢視中國對歐洲的投資有甚麼目的。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20171129/00178_022.html
- China’s plans to make 2020 its “Year of Europe” have already been affected by the health crisis and the risks of a second wave later this year could further derail its diplomatic agenda. This includes intensive meetings with the 
European Union (EU) on their Comprehensive Agreement on Investment treaty, climate change and joint development in third country markets.
A summit between Beijing and Brussels at the end of March was postponed, along with an opportunity for Xi to meet the new EU leaders. China had been hoping for the investment talks to be concluded by September, when Xi is scheduled to meet – for the first time – all leaders of the 27 EU member states in Leipzig, Germany, but there are now doubts if that goal can be achieved. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3082305/coronavirus-disrupts-chinas-diplomatic-agenda-global-meetings

- bit

• http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20151201/PDF/a9_screen.pdf 中國商務部11月30日發佈消息稱，當地時間30日，第八輪中歐投資協定談判在比利時布魯塞爾舉行，本輪談判為期五天。據透露，本次談判，雙方將努力完成領導人設定的“爭取在2015年年底前就協定範圍達成一致，並形成談判文本”的目標。中歐投資協定談判是當前中國開展的最為重要的經貿談判之一，不僅有助於深化中歐全面戰略伙伴關係、提升雙邊經貿合作水平、釋放雙向投資潛力，而且也會為中國深化改革、擴大開放、構建開放型經濟新體制提供動力。中歐投資協定談判於2013年11月啟動，目標是在中國與歐盟成員國已簽署的投資保護協定基礎上，儘早達成一個更高水平、涵蓋投資保護和市場準入的協定。這也是歐盟委員會在2009年《里斯本條約》生效後，代表成員國對外開展的第一個投資協定談判。在今年6月舉行的十七次中國歐盟領導人會晤中，中歐雙方明確，在2015年底前，雙方談判團隊的工作重點是爭取就協定範圍達成一致，並形成合併文本。
•  中國商務部昨日宣佈，第13輪中歐投資協定談判於前日起在北京舉行。商務部相關人員稱，本輪談判為期5天。雙方將加緊工作，努力推進談判取得積極進展。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/05/17/a15-0517.pdf
•  中國與歐盟當地時間11日在比利時布魯塞爾圍繞中歐投資協定（BIT）開始第14輪談判。據中新社報道，中國商務部稱，在為期4天的談判中，雙方將繼續圍繞文本展開談判，力爭取得盡可能多的進展。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/07/12/a15-0712.pdf
•  http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-09/23/content_32369650.htmChinese and EU think tanks have urged a fresh bilateral investment treaty, or BIT, between China and European Union members.
  At the First China-EU CEO and Former Senior Officials' Dialogue on Friday, a proposal for China-EU business cooperation was put forward by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, together with Brussels-based economic think tank Brugel, London-based Royal Institute of International Affairs and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
•  http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2120052/chinas-long-list-opt-outs-hindering-talks-eu-over
•  China and the European Union have made more efforts in promoting the negotiation for a bilateral investment treaty, Premier Li Keqiang said. "China is now working on the procedure of lifting the ban on imports of beef from Belgium, and we will accelerate the process," Li said. "We are ready to expand imports of high quality agriculture products from Belgium."http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201810/18/WS5bc7cd54a310eff303283012.html

• Investment treaty talks between China and the 
  European Union are entering their final phase, but issues such as the role of state-owned enterprises and the hefty subsidies they enjoy remain major stumbling blocks. Both sides view the investment deal, formally known as the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, as a landmark in bilateral relations.It would also carry additional significance in bolstering the global economy that has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.An annual summit co-chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and EU leaders, which had been scheduled for the end of March, is now expected to be held remotely in the third week of this month with both sides keen to make progress, a European diplomatic source said.But EU officials have said state subsidies and businesses are key topics in the talks and have called on China to do more to meet the end-of-year deadline for concluding negotiations.https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3087847/chinas-state-owned-firms-remain-barrier-eu-investment-deal

- 歐盟批准中法聯投英核電站http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20141011/PDF/a10_screen.pdf
- http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2014/12/18/a09-1218.pdf 中方將設立 30 億美元規模投資基金，以多種方式推動中東歐地區國家股權投資。同時，中國將啟動第二期 10 億美元的中國－中東歐投資合作基金，支持對中東歐投資項目。
- http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2076646/european-businesses-voice-fears-china-hi-tech-overhaul-will-be The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has raised concerns about Beijing’s plans to develop the nation’s hi-tech prowess, arguing that Chinese firms will be given an unfair advantage through government support and their foreign competitors will be given limited or no access to mainland markets.

• http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2078056/beijing-industry-minister-says-no-discrimination-against-foreign

- Products to eu via uk

• http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170309/00180_037.html歐盟反欺詐局周三指在一三至一六年期間，有大批經英國進口的中國貨使用偽造帳單，虛報價格以便逃稅，歐盟損失總值約二十億歐元（約一百六十四億港元）。該部門斥英國打擊不力或面臨巨額罰款。英國回應指不同意當局說法，強調有採取嚴厲措施。

- new dumping criteria

• http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2016-11/11/content_27340905.htm Beijing has urged the European Union to drop its proposed use of new criteria in calculating dumping, which may not recognize the full market economy status that has been granted to China by nearly 100 countries. Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang said on Thursday that the new method proposed by the European Commission would continue its practice of not treating China as a full market economy regarding China's foreign trade activities.

- anti-subsidy and anti-dumping on filament glass fibre products scmp 2jan15 b3
- 光伏產品

• 歐盟委員會近日發佈公告，決定終止對華光伏產品反傾銷反補貼部分期中複審調查。沈丹陽當天在北京召開的例行記者會上介紹稱，歐盟對中國光伏產品期中複審立案後，中國商務部與歐委會調查機關保持了良好溝通，與歐方就價格承諾調價機制問題進行了多次磋商。最終，歐委會經調查認為，中國光伏產品的價格變化與國際市場價格走勢相近，現行最低限價參考基準能夠客觀反映全球光伏產品的價格發展情況，符合最低限價措施的目的。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2016/01/21/a17-0121.pdf
•  EU member states have rejected a plan to extend tariffs on Chinese solar panels, delivering a bloody nose to Brussels as it seeks to sharpen penalties against Beijing for dumping products on European markets. https://www.ft.com/content/6e1979b6-e3e0-11e6-9645-c9357a75844a
•  The European Union will scrap import controls on solar panels and cells from China in September, rejecting a request from EU producers who argue that the bloc will be opening its doors to a flood of dumped products.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-china-solar/eu-set-to-end-chinese-solar-panel-import-controls-in-september-idUSKCN1L90RF

•  Photovoltaic exports from China are expected to increase as the European Union has ended anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, but the effect will not be immediately seen, market insiders said.Beijing's decision in June to cut subsidies and impose a cap on new solar projects meant the country would have some 30 gigawatts of excess capacity to export.While the opening of the European market is definitely good news for PV module makers in Europe and China, it is expected the country's announcement will not have a marked effect on either global module prices or short-term demand in the EU.The EU market definitely opens a new door for Chinese companies as the Chinese government recently put the brakes on new solar installations, to counter the pressure of huge subsidy deficit.The end of EU restrictions on the sale of Chinese solar panels, however, will not be enough to compensate for the decline in the China market, said Jiang Yali, a solar analyst at Bloomberg NEF, an industry information provider.http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201810/22/WS5bcd1502a310eff303283a65.html

- Fasteners

• http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20160120/PDF/a18_screen.pdf總部位於日內瓦的世界貿易組 織（WTO）18日發布機構報告，再次裁定歐盟 對中國部分鋼鐵緊固件反傾銷措施違反世貿規則 。中國商務部條法司負責人說，中國在緊固件爭 端中的勝訴，有力彰顯了中國政府利用國際規則 和爭端解決機制積極維護產業利益和出口利益的 堅定決心，也充分說明了部分貿易夥伴對中國產 品和企業實施歧視性調查做法和反傾銷措施是缺 乏多邊法律基礎和無法獲得世貿組織認可的。中 國將一如既往地支持世貿組織多邊貿易體制，為 維護一個公平、公正、透明的國際貿易環境作出 自己的貢獻。 綜合新華社、中新社報道，該負責人指出， 歐方自2009年1月30日起對自中國進口的鋼鐵緊固 件產品徵收高達85%的反傾銷稅，直接影響中國 近10億美元出口、上千家緊固件企業生存和超過 十萬人就業，對中國產業造成巨大經濟損失，中 國業界對此強烈不滿。http://www.chinadailyasia.com/business/2016-01/19/content_15374406.html China scored a major victory in its seven-year trade dispute with the European Union on Monday after the World Trade Organization ruled in favor of Chinese fastener makers. The EU decision to impose hefty tariffs on fastener imports from China during the past seven years is illegal, the WTO said in its ruling. China, for its part, will take more concrete steps to protect the rights of its domestic exporters, the Ministry of Commerce said.Chen Fuli, deputy director-general of the department of treaty and law at the ministry, said China would forward a trade retaliation request to the WTO to force the EU to remove the anti-dumping duties on Chinese fasteners if the EU does not negotiate terms or remove such an unfair duty after the ruling.

- Steel

• 歐盟在繼續調查中國鋼鐵產品「傾銷」指控同時，即將開始對中國產鋼筋強行徵收懲罰性關稅。根據歐盟29日發佈的官方消息稱，歐盟決定1月30日起向中國產高強度HFP鋼筋產品徵收9.2%至13%關稅，為期半年。官方聲明還表示，依據歐盟去年4月展開的傾銷調查的最終結果，關稅徵收還有可能延長5年。報道稱，英國是被指控傾銷的中國產鋼筋的主要歐洲市場；多家英國鋼筋企業最近抱怨無法與中國的「傾銷產品」競爭而相繼倒閉。報道又稱，除英國之外，意大利和西班牙的鋼鐵廠商也受到中國產鋼筋「傾銷」的嚴重衝擊。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2016/01/31/a10-0131.pdf
•  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/30/eu-row-over-deal-to-save-steel/ britain's steel industry is facing extinction amid a row between ministers and the EU over support for the country’s last remaining plants. Tata Steel, the firm that owns the remaining parts of the old British Steel, announced it was seeking a buyer for its entire UK business which it said was no longer viable. Sources suggested the company would allow only weeks rather than months for a rescue deal.
•  http://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-imposes-fresh-anti-dumping-tariffs-on-chinese-steel-1469802897
•  The Commission concluded that Chinese producers had significant spare capacity and that this was likely to lead to large-scale imports into the European Union at dumped prices if the measures were lifted. The duties on seamless stainless steel pipes and tubes were first set in 2011, with a review begun after their expiry in 2016. The duties remained in place during the review.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-china-steel/eu-extends-duties-on-stainless-steel-pipes-from-china-idUSKCN1GI1HC

- cheese

• https://www.ft.com/content/28b90280-b70f-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589 China has lifted a ban on imports of mould-ripened cheese after lobbying from the EU, causing jubilation amongst the country’s mostly expatriate consumers of Brie, Camembert and Roquefort. The restrictions on mould-ripened varieties began in Shanghai in late July before spreading to other cities. They also ruled out imports of Italian Gorgonzola, apparently on the grounds that bacteria in the products could be harmful to human health.

- duck

• 4月1日對中國鴨肉出口商是「值得紀念」的一天：即日起，歐盟將對中國輸歐禽肉類產品開放新關稅配額，其中鴨肉配額6,600噸。受政策利好推動，中國輸歐鴨肉有望顯著增長。此前中國對歐盟禽肉出口沒有單獨國別配額，只能與其他國家競爭4%左右的全球配額，超額部分須繳納高額關稅，這使中國鴨肉出口處於不利地位。2015年4月，中方就歐盟禽肉關稅配額管理措施向歐方提出磋商請求，正式啟動世貿組織（WTO）爭端解決程序。2017年4月，WTO發佈該案專家組報告，裁決歐盟對鴨肉產品關稅配額分配違反WTO規則。為執行WTO裁決，中歐歷經十幾輪配額分配談判，最終於2018年11月30日簽署協議。根據協議，歐盟給予中國6,600噸鴨肉單獨國別出口配額，配額內熟鴨肉關稅稅率為10.9%，配額外稅率為每噸2,765歐元。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2019/04/02/a15-0402.pdf

- 電動單車

• 歐盟日前宣布，歐盟執委會決定中國進口的電動單車必須註冊。由於歐盟早前已就中國進口的電動單車啟動反傾銷和反補貼調查，歐盟執委會將在七月二十日之前，決定是否向中國進口電動單車徵收臨時反傾銷稅，如果決定徵收，開徵日期將追溯回產品進口註冊時期。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180505/00178_010.html
• https://www.ft.com/content/c27c4aa6-8a9c-11e8-bf9e-8771d5404543 The EU has imposed tariffs on imports of Chinese electric bicycles, in an effort to shield the bloc’s manufacturers against dumping at a time of rising trade tensions around the globe. Brussels decided to impose provisional anti-dumping duties of between 21.8 per cent and 83.6 per cent on inbound shipments of e-bikes from China, without which it said a further deterioration of the industry’s economic and financial situation was “very likely”.

- automation

• The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of FFT GmbH & Co. KGaA, of Germany and FFT Gesellschaft mbH of Austria (together, "FFT") by Fosun International Limited of China.http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEX-18-5181_en.htm

- wto market economy status

• http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1899791/difficult-predict-german-ambassador-chinas-bid-market Divisions among member states at home mean it is hard to predict whether the European Union will grant China market economy status, according to the German ambassador to China Michael Clauss.
  Getting the approval of most members in the Council of the EU would not be enough to secure the status, Clauss warned, as the vote would be decided on a qualified majority basis. Sixteen countries would need to give their assent and these countries must represent at least 65 per cent of the total EU population – meaning the vote of bigger countries such as Germany carry a disproportionate weight. Even then there are some circumstances, depending on exactly which countries vote for and against, that could see China’s bid turned down. The European Commission is expected to discuss the proposal in February or March, and Chinese economists say the increasing business and investment presence of China on the continent has improved Beijing’s bargaining position.
•  http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2039049/chinas-ties-major-trade-partners-tested-row-over-wto

- http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2016-11/19/content_27427524.htmThe European Commission will invest 3 million euros ($3.18 million) to set up a research and innovation center in China as part of its efforts to deepen EU-China scientific and technological cooperation.
- Cities cooperation

• http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20151220/PDF/a6_screen.pdf 2015中歐城市可持續發展論壇19日在佛山閉幕，13箇中歐合作項目在現場簽約。　　論壇開幕式上，中歐雙方簽署了《中歐城鎮化夥伴關係概念書》，13箇中歐結對城市合作項目正式簽約，涉及城市管理、產業發展、醫療教育等領域等領域。如《佛山新城和德國賀勵仕顧問公司簽署關於綠色城市可持續發展諮詢戰略合作協議》、《佛山新城和佛山市順德區德明教育投資有限公司簽署國際教育學校合作項目》、《佛山市高明區經濟和科技促進局和西蒂─貝恩特集團簽署中歐陶瓷產業科技轉移合作項目》等。
•  由歐盟委員會指導，中國城市和小城鎮改革發展中心、法國展望與創新基金會共同主辦的2018「中歐綠色和智慧城市峰會」在浙江寧波舉行，其間發布了《寧波共識》。同時，30個城市與企業獲得中歐綠色智慧城市獎與企業之星獎，其中澳門因其在民生服務方面，為智慧生活提供了澳門方案而榮獲技術創新獎。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20180909/PDF/a7_screen.pdf

- civil aviation

• http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20160225/PDF/a20_screen.pdf 歐盟駐華代表團網站24日發布消息，中歐民航合作項目 （APP）24日正式啟動，該項目為期5年，歐盟出資1000萬 歐元。 消息稱，APP的正式啟動為中歐民航合作揭開了新篇章 。該合作項目由歐洲航空安全局（EASA）負責管理。項目 旨在緊密聯繫中歐民航的技術合作與政策對話。項目的資金 來源於歐盟的合作夥伴基金，並由中國民用航空局支持。該 項目將開啟中歐全新的合作模式，首次由歐洲航空安全局和 中國民用航空局共同合作實施。
•  中國民用航空局副局長李健當天在上 海談到C919時稱，目前C919正在接受中國 民航局的適航審批， 「同時C919也將作為 中歐雙邊適航談判的一部分」。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20170427/PDF/a21_screen.pdf
•  11月13日，在中国民用航空局新闻发布会上，民航局航空器适航审定司司长徐超群表示，中欧双方已经对《中欧民用航空安全协议》及其适航审定附件草案达成一致，计划12月上旬双方草签协议。该协议在文字上基本上和中美民航双边协议一样，达到了对等程度。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20171115/PDF/a19_screen.pdf

• http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20190521/PDF/a14_screen.pdf 據央視新聞報道：2019 年5月20日，中國民用航空局局長馮正霖與 歐盟輪值主席國代表羅馬尼亞駐歐盟大使 奧多貝斯庫以及歐盟委員會負責移動運輸 事務的布爾茨委員在布魯塞爾共同簽署了 《中華人民共和國政府和歐洲聯盟民用航 空安全協定》和《中華人民共和國政府和 歐洲聯盟關於航班若干方面的協定》。

- financial

• http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2019/10/26/a14-1026.pdf 經中國國務院批准，近 日，中國人民銀行與歐洲中央銀行續簽了雙邊本幣互換協 議。 此次互換規模為 3,500億元人民幣/450億歐元，協議有 效期三年，經雙方同意可以展期。 中歐續簽雙邊本幣互換協議，將對維護金融市場穩定、 擴大中歐間本幣使用發揮積極作用，同時有助於促進貿易 和投資的便利化。 中國央行與歐洲中央銀行於 2013年 10月 9日首次簽署 了規模為 3,500億元人民幣/450億歐元的中歐雙邊本幣互 換協議，互換協議有效期三年。 2016年 9月 27日，雙方決定將雙邊本幣互換協議有效 期延長三年至 2019年 10月 8日，互換規模仍為 3,500億元 人民幣/450億歐元。
• euro dollar bond

• 財政部正計劃 藉歐元借款成本處於超低時期發行以歐 元計價的債券，若消息屬實，將是 2004 年以來中國首次發行歐元債券。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2019/10/24/b04-1024.pdf

• 位於杭州高新區（濱江）的金融科技公司PingPong獲得歐洲國家盧森堡頒發的歐洲支付牌照。PingPong是為數不多能進入歐洲金融領域的中國民營企業。歐盟的支付牌照歷來以申請要求嚴格著稱，對於申請機構的股東資質、反洗錢、合規能力、股東實力、持續經營、信息安全方面的要求幾乎與對銀行的要求持平。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2017/09/06/b05-0906.pdf

- intellectual property

• With more than 30 years of development, the cooperation between China's State Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office has evolved from a technical partnership to a strategic one, EPO President Benoit Battistelli said in a recent news conference in Beijing. The two sides signed a new comprehensive strategic partnership agreement on Nov 23 with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the two offices and providing better services for global intellectual property users and contributing to improvements in the world's IP system. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-11/27/content_35042490.htm
• 近日，歐盟在世貿組織（WTO）爭端解決機制項下要求與中方進行磋商，啟動世貿組織爭端解決程序。歐方稱中國政府有關技術轉讓措施不符合《與貿易有關的知識產權協定》等世貿組織規則的相關規定。對此，中國商務部條約法律司負責人昨日稱，中方對歐方提出起訴表示遺憾，將根據世貿組織爭端解決程序進行妥善處理。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/06/04/a01-0604.pdf
• https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_19_6200 the EU and China concluded the negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI in the EU against imitations and usurpation. This landmark agreement is expected to result in reciprocal trade benefits and demand for high-quality products on both sides. Delivering on the commitment made at the last EU-China Summit in April 2019, this agreement is a concrete example of cooperation between the European Union and the People's Republic of China, reflecting the openness and adherence of both sides to international rules as a basis for trade relations.

- ip event

• 第十三屆中國─歐盟投資貿易科技合作洽談會（以下簡稱「歐洽會」）在成都高新區舉行，吸引了德國、法國、意大利等17個歐盟成員國以及瑞士、挪威、俄羅斯等國家和地區的500餘名代表參會。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/09/25/a25-0925.pdf

taiwan

• 多名在比利時的台灣僑民、留學生、駐外官員及歐洲議員，在當地時間周二的中午，於比利時首都布魯塞爾發起遊行行動，要求國際社會關注大陸打壓台灣的問題，呼籲給予台灣更多支持。台灣僑民遊行歷時近兩個小時，約二百五十人參與。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180628/00178_007.html

Hong Kong

• Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with China.  His comments came at the end of a three-day visit to the Special Administrative Region from 4 to 6 December.http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20171207IPR89706/ep-delegation-chair-leinen-expresses-concern-for-hong-kong
• Summer EU Student Exchange: Top-up Programme Brussels 2014 http://europe.hkbu.edu.hk/euap/summer_topup_brussels_2014_summary.html
• EUAP wise city programme - partner with wise city hk http://www.wisecity.hk/, whose partners include, among others, French chamber in HK, HKU, Science Park

- people promoting eu

• andrew weir, kpmg - responsible for outbound investment to europe
• victor chu, far eastern investment group - led delegations to europe
• george yuen, icbc

- human trafficking

• third joint workshop with the Security Bureau on preventing and combating human trafficking. The two day event provides advanced training in legislation and law-enforcement to Hong Kong officers and prosecutors. https://www.facebook.com/EUOfficeHongKongMacao/photos/a.467149593408604/1719634911493393/

Trade
- The EU Commission announced Thursday it will pay for temporary storage of butter, skimmed milk powder and certain cheeses in order to help its farmers deal with the impact of Russian economic sanctions http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/28/business/europe-russia-sanctions-cheese/index.html?hpt=hp_c3
- Britain’s energy secretary, Ed Davey, has hailed a European deal on climate change as a blow to Vladimir Putin that will reduce the region’s dependence on Russian gas imports http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/cdbd03f4-5b81-11e4-b68a-00144feab7de.html

- Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) (EU/US deal)

• Pascal Lamy's article on TIPP on 28 Oct 14 http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d69d4496-5a07-11e4-8771-00144feab7de.html
• Peter Gooderham, Director, ICC UK's letter to FT on 28oct14 page 8 on debate about ISDS
• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21636061-trade-deal-america-would-be-good-everybody-yet-it-still-may-not-happen-ships-pass
• http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4b2423b8-71a3-11e4-9048-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JxA99k8u Italy has sounded the alarm over the pace of Europe’s landmark trade negotiations with the US, warning that they are in danger of failure unless negotiators can secure an agreement by the end of next year. Carlo Calenda, Rome’s trade envoy and vice-minister for economic development, said that only weeks remained to make a “fresh start” and rescue what would be the world’s biggest trade deal
• letter to FT 18dec14 by business groups in UK, Germany, France, Spain, Finland, Denmark, and Latvia on the great opportunity that the trade deal brings http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91a3a938-85ff-11e4-b11b-00144feabdc0.html 
• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5b2e2468-95be-11e4-be7d-00144feabdc0.html High quality global journalism requires investment. A small grilled sausage from Bavaria has become the unlikely symbol of German resistance to the transatlantic trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the US, after the country’s agriculture minister warned that “not every sausage can be protected” in the trade talks. Christian Schmidt, Germany’s agriculture minister, said in an interview with Der Spiegel: “If we want to seize the opportunities of free trade with the enormous American market then we can’t carry on protecting every sausage and cheese speciality.”
• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/35a81904-a0ab-11e4-8ad8-00144feab7de.html Microsoft’s top lawyer has called for an accord between the EU and the US to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to access and share citizens’ data. Under plans unveiled in Brussels, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, said that the US government should be able to serve a warrant on a data centre in the EU to collect information on a US citizen and vice versa.
• http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/49b45c04-9cbf-11e4-a730-00144feabdc0.html Public unease over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, potentially the world’s biggest trade accord, has been fuelled by clauses that would allow foreign investors to bypass national courts and sue governments through international tribunals.The power station at Moorburg was at the heart of an arbitration battle that pitted local government against Swedish utility Vattenfall. Politicians fear this could become a template for international lawyers to undermine their courts. Now public hostility to the tribunals is so strong Berlin fears it could derail the deal. “We can’t seal ourselves off in this world,” Angela Merkel told the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. The German chancellor said Europe had to seize this opportunity to “accelerate and expand its growth opportunities by reducing barriers to transatlantic trade”.
• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21674772-selling-europes-trade-agreement-america-strategic-has-problems-ttip-spear o Europe’s leaders thought when they gave the European Commission a mandate to negotiate the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with America in 2013. The EU could do with a jolt of growth, and America is a natural partner; there should have been no rows about cheap goods undermining European workers. Yet TTIP has run into a wall of opposition. Polls show majorities oppose it in several countries. Local authorities across Europe have (meaninglessly) declared themselves “TTIP-free zones”. On October 10th at least 150,000 Germans marched in Berlin to register their disapproval.  What explains the fears? Friends and foes agree on one point: TTIP is not your grandparents’ trade deal. As with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a recently concluded agreement between America and 11 other countries, eliminating tariffs is the smaller part of TTIP because there are few left to cut. Modelling is hard, but the European Commission reckons slashing “non-tariff barriers” would account for four-fifths of the 0.5% boost to European GDP that an “ambitious” deal could bring by 2027. These hurdles include equivalent but incompatible rules on matters like food testing and car safety, which make it expensive for American and European manufacturers to operate in each others’ markets. That sounds deathly dull, but to TTIP’s opponents such “regulatory co-operation” is a trap that will force chlorine-soaked chickens down European throats and fracking pumps onto their land. Dealing with such complaints, sighs a Eurocrat, “is like fighting Russian propaganda”. But discard the myths and you are left with an awkward truth: “new-generation” deals like TTIP that focus on rules rather than tariffs are vulnerable to citizens’ suspicions of a concealed takeover by corporations bent on destroying jobs and welfare rights. Such worries have already forced the EU’s trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, into a partial retreat on a measure of TTIP that lets firms sue governments. Moreover, the deal’s fuzzy nature makes credible economic forecasts hard. Opposition has been fiercest in Germany and Austria, two countries with strong social systems and low rates of unemployment: lots to lose and not so much to gain, critics would say.
• http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21697877-what-aversion-global-trade-says-about-europe-and-america-trading-places
• http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/01/leaked-ttip-documents-cast-doubt-on-eu-us-trade-deal Talks for a free trade deal between Europe and the US face a serious impasse with “irreconcilable” differences in some areas, according to leaked negotiating texts. The two sides are also at odds over US demands that would require the EU to break promises it has made on environmental protection.  President Obama said last week he was confident a deal could be reached. But the leaked negotiating drafts and internal positions, which were obtained byGreenpeace and seen by the Guardian, paint a very different picture.  TTIP is a very bad excuse to vote for Brexit “Discussions on cosmetics remain very difficult and the scope of common objectives fairly limited,” says one internal note by EU trade negotiators. Because of a European ban on animal testing, “the EU and US approaches remain irreconcilable and EU market access problems will therefore remain,” the note says. Talks on engineering were also “characterised by continuous reluctance on the part of the US to engage in this sector,” the confidential briefing says.