European Union

The US Department of State declared yesterday (13 September) that the US welcomes Serbia’s announcements declaring Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. “Serbia’s announcement that it will designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in its entirety is another significant step limiting...

Talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  on 11 September were an affirmation between the two countries, Vucic has said. “An excellent phone conversation with PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The friendship between the Serb and Jewish...

Since Jacques Chirac first proposed a carbon border tax, French presidents have never let go of the idea. Now, the European Commission plans to integrate it into its recovery plan, much to the irritation of Beijing, just as an EU-China summit opens on Monday (14 September). EURACTIV France reports.

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban is planning to put a “war plan” in place to protect the lives of citizens while ensuring the continued functioning of the country, Orbán told a public broadcaster in an interview on Saturday...

The European Commission will argue this week in favour of a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and push for higher shares of renewable energy as part of an ambitious plan to achieve net-zero emissions by mid century, EURACTIV has learned.

Greece will adopt two major policy initiatives for the coming months and years, one on defence and another on the economy, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced. Greece will proceed in a major arms acquisition programme, along with an increase...

The number of COVID-19 hospital admissions has been increasing over recent weeks in Spain and now account for 7.5% of all patients, compared to 4% just 20 days ago, Dr. Antonio Román, a director at the Hospital Vall d’Hebron in...

5.6 million of a total of 8.3 million Italian students for the 2020-2021 school year will return to school today (14 September). “The return to school is always an emotional moment. I send my best wishes to everyone involved, from...

The UK government’s premise that as part of the Withdrawal Agreement the EU would blockade goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been described as ‘spin’ by Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. Also, read about: “MEPs vow to veto UK...

There is a link between increased migration and spiralling gang violence in Swedish cities, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told party leaders during a debate and then on Swedish Television on Wednesday (9 September). Careful not to make connections between religious...

The differences in the colour-coded risk systems between Belgium and France are “extremely confusing”, governor of the West Flemish province, Carl Decaluwé, has warned and urged EU countries to coordinate. Read also: European Commission pushes member states for common travel rules...

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) emerged as the clear winner in North-Rhine Westphalia with 36.2% of the vote in the elections for mayors and the regional parliament held on Sunday (13 September). Yet, even though state leader and candidate for...

Syriza MEPs have sent a letter of complaint to EU Commission chief Ursula Von der Leyen and EU Parliament President David Sassoli after the executive’s services said in an official written reply that Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia church is… in Cyprus....

The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project has already cost Europe too much, and the stakes for the EU’s security, credibility and independence are growing year by year, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Sunday (13 September), appealing to...

Written by Gisela Grieger,

© Alex_Po / Adobe Stock

Lack of reciprocity in access to the Chinese market and the absence of a level playing field for EU investors in China have posed major challenges for EU-China investment relations in recent years, with the negotiation of a comprehensive agreement on investment (CAI) being considered by the EU a key instrument to remedy this state of play.

The CAI negotiations are aimed at establishing a uniform legal framework for EU-China investment ties by replacing the 25 outdated bilateral investment treaties (BITs) China and EU Member States concluded prior to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 when the EU gained competence for most investment issues. The CAI is intended to go far beyond traditional investment protection to also cover market access, investment-related sustainable development, and level playing field issues, such as transparency of subsidies, and rules on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and forced technology transfer.

Although leaders at the 2019 EU-China Summit jointly committed to concluding the CAI talks in 2020, lack of engagement at the highest political level on the Chinese side has raised doubts as to whether a breakthrough can be reached in time, with China more focused on navigating the uncertainties of its relations with the United States from January 2021.

Comprehensive Agreement on Investment between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the People’s Republic of China, of the other part Committee responsible: International Trade (INTA) Rapporteur: Iuliu Winkler (EPP, Romania)

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU–China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment: Levelling the playing field‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday (13 September), with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours.

Last year Ursula von der Leyen promised to lead a 'geopolitical' Commission. It's time to get real on putting that into practice, argue Nicole Koenig and Nils Redeker.

EU leaders are set to hold virtual talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday (14 September), hoping to make progress on trade and investment, even as tensions mount between Beijing and the West over Hong Kong and treatment of the country's Uighur Muslim minority.

The ruling United Russia party looked set for an array of local election wins on Sunday (13 September), but was also on course for some setbacks as stricken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s supporters made rare gains in city politics in Siberia.

Europe and Britain's car industries called on Monday (14 September) on the two sides to urgently clinch a free trade agreement, warning that a disorderly Brexit would cost the sector €110 billion in lost trade over the next five years.