Berne Union’s Post

https://lnkd.in/ec7nMPkw <<The theme chosen by the Belgian presidency is: 'a competition policy that protects our people, strengthens our economy and prepares for our shared future'; a theme that particularly resonates at a time when, as Séverine Waterbley, Chair of the Management Committee of the FPS Economy, reminds us, "We are faced with tensions linked to rivalries between major powers, socio-economic upheaval, climate change, structural market failures, the concentration of economic power in the hands of a few players, and price distortions, which have a direct impact on our markets. In this context, competition policy and the application of competition rules are two essential foundations of a modern, healthy economy.>> #competition #social #economy #health #market #climate #change

The 16th quadrennial conference of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), or UNCTAD16, is set to take place in late 2025, themed "Shaping the future: Driving sustainable economic transformation for a changing world". The announcement came from Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan in her address to a high-level Trade and Development Board meeting in Geneva on 16 September. “UNCTAD16 will be crucial to say with concrete deeds how this institution, because of its universal membership, because of its memory, because of its knowledge and because of its mandate, is positioned to shape this new future,” Ms Grynspan told ambassadors, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental bodies in attendance. The Trade and Development Board acts as UNCTAD's governing body in between ministerial conferences, overseeing activities of the organization. Kicking off its 71st session, the board lauds Secretary-General Grynspan’s leadership in steering UNCTAD through complex reforms and raising the visibility and impact of the organization’s work in shaping the international development agenda. Harnessing winds of change The multiple, interlocking challenges facing today’s world, from widening inequalities and growth deceleration to trade disruptions and falling investment, demand immediate attention and collaborative action. UN Trade and Development has projected global GDP growth to stay below 3% in 2024 – continuing post-COVID-19-pandemic slowdown – and repeatedly warned that 3.3 billion people live in countries spending more on debt repayments than on health or education. Read More: https://lnkd.in/eXMspSNQ

Thu 2024-06-06 03:52 Joint Statement on Australia-United States Strategic Commercial Dialogue FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Thursday, June 6, 2024 Media Contact: Office of Public Affairs, publicaffairs@doc.gov Joint Statement on Australia-United States Strategic Commercial Dialogue SINGAPORE – Alongside the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) ministerial meetings in Singapore, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Honourable Don Farrell, met on June 6, 2024, for the third annual ministerial meeting of the Australia-United States Strategic Commercial Dialogue. The Secretary and Minster reiterated the value of the Dialogue as a key mechanism to discuss shared Australian – United States economic and commercial objectives and committed to work together to support an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The Secretary and Minister reiterated their strong commitment to the IPEF. Both commended the strong progress to date, including the signing of the IPEF Agreement Relating to a Clean Economy, IPEF Agreement Relating to a Fair Economy, and Agreement on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. They agreed the signing of these agreements marks another major milestone and paves the way for closer cooperation on matters of critical importance to the Indo-Pacific region. They also noted the success of the inaugural IPEF Clean Economy Investor Forum, which links industry and investors with climate technology and infrastructure projects. The Secretary and Minister reviewed progress made by Australia and the United States in taking decisive action to reduce carbon emissions and committed to continue to cooperate closely under the Australia-United States Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact. They noted the high level of ambition in this area reflected in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and the A Future Made in Australia agenda and recognized the importance of promoting the complementarity of these initiatives to investors and our private sectors. The Secretary and Minister reaffirmed the importance of strengthened cooperation on economic security in their discussions on trade, trade-distorting subsidies, national security issues tied to investment flows and continuing cooperation on investment screening, unfair trade practices and unfair competition. The Secretary and Minister agreed on the ongoing importance of the annual Australia-U.S. Strategic Trade Controls Dialogue, recognizing this platform allows frank and productive conversations on dual-use technology export controls, including shared objectives and approaches with other partners.

#tradeXpresso: A very rewarding collaboration with my amazing co-authors, CARMEN DIAZ MORA and Oscar Guinea! https://lnkd.in/efNvXNkW Yes, lots of stats and fancy graphs for you to digest. But, in the end, it all boils down to a couple of simple messages: 1️⃣ any industrial and competitiveness policy mix cannot ignore the role of services. 2️⃣ when thinking about services trade, don’t ignore the five #ModesOfSupply https://lnkd.in/eGAuaKbq

USITC Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade: 2024 Annual Report [May 2024] https://lnkd.in/gdXtGMBc or For interactive data, see https://lnkd.in/gfR3Jvj9   Recent Trends in U.S. Services Trade: 2024 Annual Report, published by the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission). Recent Trends is the Commission’s annual report on U.S. services trade. This year, the report covers financial services. It presents an overview of U.S. trade in services and discusses market conditions, the industry outlook, and emerging market trends for the banking, insurance, and securities industries. These trends include the digitalization of financial services (including the incorporation of AI) and rising demand for financial products and services that address concerns for sustainability and financial inclusion, and support growth in emerging markets. It also summarizes the USITC’s 17th annual Services Roundtable.   The report is accompanied by interactive figures and tables that display U.S. services trade with the United States’ largest country trade partners and the European Union as well as trade in six individual services categories. These figures and tables show cross-border trade in services, which occurs when suppliers in one country sell services to consumers in another country. Links to the interactive figures can be accessed below.

European Parliament Think Tank (EPTT)--Briefing EU competitiveness: Issues and challenges [9 September 2024] https://lnkd.in/gPy_7aR2 or https://lnkd.in/gNyS3uuj Strengthening the European Union's economy in the face of rising global economic and political competition and managing the 'twin transitions' of the digital and green transformation is a key challenge for the 2024-2029 legislative term. This briefing highlights key aspects of the debate around strengthening the EU's economy. While the term 'EU competitiveness' is not clearly defined, there is broad agreement that it entails a range of policies focusing on, but not confined to, the EU's single market. The single market is far from complete, and abolishing barriers to trade would allow for efficiencies and economies of scale. We also look at other policies that are essential when it comes to safeguarding and strengthening EU competitiveness, in particular its industrial and energy policies, and outline the discussion around EU competition and investment policy. In doing so, it becomes clear that strengthening EU competitiveness is not a technical process confined to individual policies. Instead, it opens up deeply political discussions over the changing nature of the EU's economic and political model, with long-term distributional consequences. Given its very nature, there is no single answer to the competitiveness challenge confronting the EU. Without claiming to be comprehensive, this briefing rather seeks to provide a structure to the debate and point to some of the fundamental political and economic questions EU policymakers need to address during the 2024-2029 political term.

The European Commission just released a crucial 700-page report on state-induced distortions in the Chinese economy. This report aims to help EU companies gather evidence for anti-dumping investigations. The 2024 version includes recent changes in Chinese legislative laws and evolving industrial policies, updating its 2017 predecessor, and focuses on: ⏹ Cross-cutting distortions: Examining the state's role in resource allocation, economic objectives, planning systems, and the prominence of state-owned enterprises. ⏹ Distortions in production factors: Addressing discriminatory resource allocation and access, including land, labor, raw materials, and energy. ⏹ Sector-specific distortions: Identifying state support and preferential access to finance in targeted industrial sectors. https://lnkd.in/dGjJdXGu

#FreshFromThePress Super-Mario does it again! A report on EU competitiveness which details: 1/ The weak points of EU competitiveness 2/ Why massive productivity improvements are essential 3/ Concrete propositions for the required new framework Key takeaways on the four building blocks to achieve an effective and collective EU industry strategy: #1 Building Block Full implementation of the #SingleMarket 🔥 Remaining trade frictions in the EU mean that Europe is leaving around 10% of potential GDP on the table. 💡 For an in-depth analysis of the Single Market conundrum, dive deep into "Much more than a market report" by Enrico Letta (Publication Date: April 2024, see link in comment) #2 Building Block Align industrial, competition, and trade policies to fulfill the overall strategy 💡 Important Projects of Common Interest (#IPCEI) should be expanded to include all forms of innovation that could push Europe to the frontier in strategically important sectors and benefit from EU financing. #3 Building Block Finance the main areas for action, requiring massive investments unseen for half a century in Europe — such as the defense industry, cross-border energy grids, computing, and connectivity infrastructure. 🔥 To digitalize and decarbonize the economy and boost the EU's defense capacity, the total investment-to-GDP rate will need to rise by around 5 percentage points per year, reaching levels last seen in the 1960s and 70s. 💡 A 2% increase in the level of total factor productivity within ten years could already be sufficient to cover up to one-third of the required fiscal spending. #4 Building Block Reform the EU’s governance by increasing the depth of coordination and reducing the regulatory burden. 🔥 More than 60% of EU companies view regulation as an obstacle to investment, with 55% of SMEs identifying regulatory obstacles and the administrative burden as their greatest challenges. 🔥 The average timeline to decide and implement a new law is about 19 months due to outdated decision-making processes. ➡ "EU countries are already responding to this new environment with more assertive policies, but they are doing so in a fragmented way that undermines collective effectiveness." This week’s must-read for thought-provoking insights!

Ministry of Economy, Trade and and Industry , Japan Second Report of the Committee on New Direction of Economic and Industrial Policies  June 2023  Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

The UK government GOV.UK has promised to produce an industrial strategy and a trade strategy this year. The CITP convened a series of roundtables with various partners each aimed at specific and challenging issues or an area of policy the new trade strategy will need to address. Read the recommendations from these events and the core challenges that the new trade strategy will need to address: https://lnkd.in/dDTCQqqe Each roundtable convened a high-level discussion between policymakers from the UK and beyond, business representatives, experts and academics to identify core challenges and policy recommendations in each topic (a) trade and economic security; (b) trade policymaking within the UK; (c) Services trade and priorities for future negotiations; (d) SME’s, export support and UK competitiveness; (e) agriculture, environment and food standards and f) a UK-EU reset. Chatham House Resolution Foundation CBI (Confederation of British Industry) Bruegel - Improving economic policy