As Brazil prepares to host COP30 in Belém in 2025, attention is focusing on a complex paradox at the heart of its climate policy: how to present itself as a leader in forest protection while remaining one of the world’s largest producers of soy — a crop closely linked to deforestation in the Amazon. A […]
COP30 Highlights the Environmental Damage Inflicted by Brazil’s Soy Industry Read More »
US President Donald Trump has announced a landmark trade agreement between the United States and the European Union, highlighting significant economic and defense commitments that promise to reshape transatlantic relations. According to Trump, the deal includes the EU agreeing to purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S., $150 billion specifically in U.S. energy
Trump Announces Major Trade Deal with the European Union Read More »
The European Union is reportedly prepared to finalize a trade agreement with the United States before the looming July 9 deadline set by President Donald Trump, aimed at averting a threatened 50 percent tariff increase on EU exports. However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has underscored that “all options remain on the table,”
EU Poised for Trade Deal with U.S. Ahead of July 9 Deadline Read More »
As the Trump administration revives its aggressive trade posture, non-tariff barriers have come to the center of U.S. trade demands. This week, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has ramped up pressure on the European Union, urging it to scrap key environmental regulations that the U.S. sees as unfair obstacles to trade—most
USTR Pressures EU to Dismantle Green Regulations in Exchange for Tariff Relief Read More »
Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton has joined a group of U.S. lawmakers in voicing strong opposition to the European Union’s Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR), arguing that it places unfair burdens on American industries and threatens billions of dollars in exports. In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Cotton and his colleagues warned that the EU’s
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton lashes out at EU deforestation rules Read More »
The European Union has postponed the first hefty import tariffs – a counter-reaction to the American tariffs on steel and aluminium – until mid-April. This gives the EU two weeks more time to negotiate with the United States. The tariffs are two different import tariffs, according to the Reuters news agency. The first levy would
EU postpones first import tariffs on American products until mid-April Read More »
Strengthening Alliances in Response to U.S. Pressure Denmark is scrambling to navigate an escalating diplomatic standoff with the United States over Greenland, as President Donald Trump’s repeated interest in the territory has led to economic and military threats. In response, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is rallying European allies, emphasizing unity while carefully avoiding provocation.
Denmark Seeks European Support to Counter Trump’s Greenland Push Read More »
Guest post by Jason Reed, global projects manager at Young Voices and a commentator on politics and policy For the European who believes in the importance of civil liberties, these are depressing times. Everywhere you look, there is some new threat to key personal freedoms on the horizon. They come from all directions: governments, regulators,
On civil liberties, the EU could be a force for good Read More »
Commenting on the entry into BRICS of Saudi Arabia, an editorial by Al-Monitor, authored by its foreign affairs correspondent Sabena Siddiqui, argues that concerns about the U.S. dollar’s dominance are not justified. She notes: Oil transactions between China and the Gulf may be settled in Chinese currency, but experts do not foresee an end to
“Concerns about the U.S. dollar’s dominance are not justified” Read More »
Time magazine reports how “the World Is Protesting America’s Climate Plan”, highlighting how not only the EU but also South Korea, Japan and India are angry at the U.S. climate measures. One South Korean official dubs the law a “betrayal.” as during the COP conference in Egypt, the EU dropped an extensive document complaining of “problematic” tax
U.S climate debate raising tensions with trading partners Read More »