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Drawing on a wide array of sources and literature, this study examines the role of the European Parliament in the establishment of the European Community's consumer policy. It argues that Parliament played a key role in placing this nascent policy issue on the agenda. It influenced the definition of what the policy should include, what it should focus on, and which instruments should be used to address the problems facing European consumers. In this process, Parliament filtered ideas, issues and ...

After coming to a political agreement on the trade pillar of the three-pronged EU-Mercosur association agreement in June 2019, the EU and the four founding members of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) reached agreement on the political dialogue and cooperation parts in July 2020. However, as environmental deregulation and deforestation continue unabated in Brazil, opposition to the deal is growing. It is unlikely to be submitted to the European Parliament for consent in its current ...

Since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, various attempts have been made to re-integrate the economies of its former republics. However, little progress was made until Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan launched a Customs Union in 2010. In 2015, this was upgraded to a Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Modelled in part on the EU, this bloc aims to create an EU-style Eurasian internal market, with free movement of goods, services, persons and capital. So far, the EEU's performance has been poor. Trade ...

Since the breakup of the USSR in 1991, Russia has cooperated with its neighbours through a series of regional multilateral organisations and agreements. These have served to maintain Russian influence over the 'Near Abroad' – ex-Soviet republics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – while mitigating Russian isolation as its relations with the West become increasingly tense, not least due to the Ukrainian crisis.

The Andean Community of Nations (CAN), made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru (Venezuela was a member until 2006, when it withdrew to join Mercosur), has already established a free trade area, with free movement of goods and services (with a few exceptions), but has not yet agreed on a common external tariff that would allow the creation of a common market. A legal instrument has also been adopted to enable the gradual free movement of labour within the region, but this has not yet been fully ...

ASEAN: building an Economic Community

At a Glance 03-12-2014

In 2007 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decided to move towards closer integration by establishing an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015 as one of its three pillars (the other two being the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities). What will this mean and to what extent will the AEC resemble the EU's Single Market?

Updating the EU Customs Code

At a Glance 05-09-2013

The EU's current customs code is still based on procedures involving paper documents. In order to modernise the rules and adapt the legislation to the electronic environment, the European Commission has proposed to amend the pending modified customs code and postpone its full implementation until 2020.

This report provides an analysis of the instruments used to regulate the European Union’s agricultural markets in the context of the changes to be made to the CAP beyond 2013. After stressing the importance of the budgetary support earmarked under the CAP for market regulation and discussing the grounds for public intervention, this note goes on to look at customs duties, export subsidies, safety nets (guaranteed prices), risk management instruments, production quotas and direct support.

At a hearing on 13 July 2005, the European Parliament Committees on International Trade, Development, and Agriculture and Rural Development brought together the key stakeholders (non-member states, OECD, producers, consumers, industry and workers) involved in the reform of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for Sugar. The speakers expressed their points of view on the reworded reform proposed by the Commission on 22 June 2005. At the end of an intense debate with the MEPs of the committees dealing ...