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"This book studies the relationship between administrative capacity and a member state's influence in the European Union. More specifically, it studies member states' ability to exert control over the European Commission during trade negotiations. But what determines administrative capacity and how do member states ensure their preferences are defended during trade negotiations? A combination of qualitative fieldwork and survey-analysis provides the answer. Interviews in Belgium, Poland, Estonia and Spain offer a privileged insight into the functioning of national trade administrations and its effects on their behavior in the Council of Ministers. Through survey data, these findings are further corroborated. The book is aimed at a readership interested in EU decision-making, negotiation theory, comparative public administration and the international political economy of trade"--Provided by publisher.

"Is the EU a force of convergence in the world? Standardizing the World offers a comprehensive assessment of the EU's efforts to standardize a wide array of economic, political, and social aspects of life through its trade agreements across the globe. A group of leading experts offers analyses of the most important issue areas: social and labor rights, the environment, investments, intellectual property, rule of law and anti-corruption, agriculture and food quality, services, public procurement, sustainable development, digital commerce, and more. Trading initiatives with major partners are considered: Mercosur, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Canada, India and Eastern European countries. Those with smaller trading partners are also considered, including Vietnam and Central American countries. The volume reports four key findings. First, EU agreements contain significant standardizing content that often includes but extends beyond preexisting international standards as set by the WTO and other entities. Second, the standardizing principles are specific and granular, yet overall tend toward a measured and socially-minded approach to trade and capitalism. Third, while the EU is quite successful at advancing its worldviews, in several cases - both across policy areas and when it comes to specific partners - the results speak to compromises or even failures to reach agreement. Fourth, even in cases where the EU shows considerable success, the resulting outcomes do not always amount to a consistent pattern. Taken together, the findings paint a picture of a dynamic EU capable of projecting its worldviews across the globe that is nonetheless not always consistent or successful. Multiple explanations, from institutionalist to political economy and identity-driven ones, help explain the observable patterns. The volume closes with reflections on the broader impacts of EU trade policy beyond its formal trade agreements, the global competition for standards, the options of unilateralism and mutual recognition, the challenges presented by China, and the overall place of the EU in the world."

Intro -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Introduction: EU Trade Policy Facing Unprecedented Challenges -- 1 A Changing Global Political Context for EU Trade Policy -- 2 Identifying and Addressing the Specific Challenges for EU Trade Policy -- 3 Introducing the Contributions -- 4 Results of the Contributions -- References -- Part I: EU Trade Policy in a Multipolar World: Pursuing WTO Reform and FTAs -- EU Multilateral Trade Policy in a Changing, Multipolar World: The Way Forward -- 1 Introduction: US Unilateralism, China´s Exceptionalism and Russia´s ``Disruptivism´´ as Current Challenges for the EU´s Mult... -- 2 The US Unilateralism -- 3 China´s Exceptionalism -- 4 EU Reactions -- 4.1 A Firm Commitment to the WTO and Its Reform -- 4.2 Negotiating Free Trade Agreements -- 4.3 Counter-Reaction to US Protectionism -- 4.4 Counter-Reaction to China´s Exceptionalism -- 5 The Way Forward for the EU´s Multilateral Trade Policy in Between China and the US -- 6 Persistent Threats to EU Unity -- References -- Tackling Technical Barriers to Trade in EU `New Generation´ FTAs: An Example of Open or Conflicting Regionalism? -- 1 Introduction -- 2 `Open´ or `Conflicting´ Regionalism -- 2.1 Welfare Effects of Regional TBT Liberalisation -- 2.2 WTO Rules for Regional Provisions on TBT -- 2.2.1 Harmonization Based on `Relevant International Standards´ -- 2.2.2 Equivalence and Conformity Assessment: Open Recognition? -- 2.2.2.1 MFN Under the TBT Agreement -- 2.2.2.2 MFN Under the GATT -- 2.2.3 A Specific Case of Restrictive Rules of Origin -- 3 The EU `New Generation´ FTAs -- 3.1 Orientation Towards International Standards -- 3.2 Harmonisation -- 3.3 Recognition of Equivalence -- 3.4 Mutual Recognition of Conformity Assessment and Other Conformity Assessment Facilitation Methods -- 3.5 Transparency and Trade Facilitation -- 4 Conclusion -- Annex -- References.

"The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of engaging in external trade relations outside of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with entire regions and economic powerhouses. Understanding why and how the EU engages in one of the most active fields of external relations is crucial. This book fills a gap in the literature by analysing motives on the modes bilateralism, inter-regionalism, or multilateralism - of EU external trade relations towards regional organizations in Asia and Latin America outside of the WTO. In particular, it examines why the EU turned from interregional to bilateral external trade relations towards these world regions a question that is, to date, under-researched. By developing and testing an original approach rooted in realist theorizing coined commercial realism, it examines systematically the explanatory power of commercial realism against liberal-institutionalist approaches dominant in the literature on EU external relations through five in-depth case studies. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students in EU Politics/Studies, EU external relations, inter-regionalism and more broadly to International Relations and International Political Economy."--Provided by publisher.

Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Part I Introduction -- 1 Geo-economic Motives and the Negotiation of Free Trade Agreements: Introduction -- Introduction -- Geo-economics and the IPE of Trade -- Systemic Approaches -- Power in Trade Negotiations -- Analyzing the Geo-economic Dimension in FTA Negotiations -- Selecting a Negotiating Partner -- Bargaining Power During Negotiations -- Harnessing Externalities in the Design of FTAs -- Research Design and Structure of the Book -- References -- Part II A Geo-Economic Trade Environment -- 2 The Politics of FTAs in Asia: The Role of China and Implications for EU Trade Policy -- Introduction -- The Strategic Context -- An 'Assertive' China -- China's Conflict Behavior -- The Belt and Road Initiative -- EU Trade Policy Toward Asia -- Trade Interdependence Between the EU and China -- EU Trade Agreements with Asian Countries -- China's FTAs with Asian Countries -- Comparing EU and China's Trade Agreements -- Challenges and Opportunities for EU Trade Policy -- The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment -- Conclusion -- References -- 3 US Trade Policy: Japan vs. China, from Politically Economic to Existential -- Introduction -- US Response to Japan's Economic Ascent -- Continuity in the US' Trade Policy Toward Japan and Toward China -- Dissimilarities in US Trade Policy Toward China as Compared with Japan -- The United States as a Geostrategic Trade Power -- Conclusion -- References -- 4 Global Value Chains and EU-East Asia Trade: An Antidote for Geo-Economic Competition? -- Introduction -- The Liberal Thesis -- Two Alternative Perspectives: Geo-Economics and Fair-Trade -- Geo-Economics and Global Value Chains -- Fair Trade and Global Value Chains -- EU-East Asia Trade Agreements as Tests for These Perspectives.

This comprehensive book provides a thorough analytical overview of the European Union's existing law and policy in the field of international trade. Considering the history and context of the law's evolution, it offers an adept examination of its common commercial policy competence through the years, starting with the Treaty of Rome up until the Treaty of Lisbon, as a background for understanding the EU's present role in the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework. Accessible and thought-provoking, chapters offer a legal analysis of EU trade policy after the Treaty of Rome, after the conclusion of the WTO Agreement, at the Treaty of Amsterdam, at the Treaty of Nice, and at the Treaty of Lisbon, taking into account the most recent constitutional developments by the Lisbon Treaty on division of competences between the EU and its Member States. Additional thought is given to the role of major EU institutions and their balance within EU trade law and policy, and the tension between efficiency and accountability in decision-making processes in EU trade policy is further considered. Students and scholars working in the field of European and international trade law and policy, and international economic law and policy more generally, will find this a clear and useful resource. Practitioners seeking a clear and up-to-date insight into the area will also appreciate this important work

Die acht Aufsätze beschäftigen sich mit mehreren Aspekten der außenwirtschaftlichen Zusammenarbeit zwischen der EU und den Staaten des südlichen Afrika. Dabei geht es um die Zukunft des Lome-Vertrages, Fragen des internationalen Welthandels sowie das Funktionieren der regionalen Handelskooperation im südlichen Afrika. (DÜI-Wgm)

Introduction -- The EU's deep trade agenda contextualized -- Legal framework of the EU's deep trade agenda : competence, decision making, and objectives -- Services -- Investment -- Intellectual property -- Competition -- Public procurement -- Conclusion

With the stagnation of the Doha Round of multilateral talks, trade liberalisation is increasingly undertaken through free trade agreements. Gabriel Siles-Brugge examines the EU's decision -- following the 2006 'Global Europe' strategy -- to negotiate such agreements with emerging economies. Eschewing the purely materialist explanations prominent in the field, he develops a novel constructivist argument to highlight the role of language and ideas in shaping EU trade policy. Drawing on extensive interviews and documentary analysis, Siles-Brugge shows how EU trade policymakers have privileged the interests of exporters to the detriment of import-competing groups, creating an ideational imperative for market-opening. Even during the on-going economic crisis the overriding mantra has been that the EU's future well-being depends on its ability to compete in global markets. The increasingly neoliberal orientation of EU trade policy has also had important consequences for its economic diplomacy with the developing economies of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states.

Bringing together leading experts in trade law and policy, this volume investigates the coherence between the European Union's trade policy and its non-trade objectives. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, it highlights previously unaddressed dimensions of EU policy objectives and outcomes. With a range of illustrative case studies, the contributions offer in-depth analysis while making key issues and policy conclusions accessible to readers without specialist training. Pushing the frontiers of research on trade, investment, and non-trade issues, the volume advances debates concerning the reform of the international trade regime and the EU's adoption of a new trade policy. Bolstered by a diverse range of contributors and perspectives, this expansive collection recognises the achievements of the current EU trade policy, assesses its limits, and puts forth actionable recommendations for how it may be improved.