News & Politics

  • EU and US High-level Officials Meet to Take Stock of Ongoing Cooperation Under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council

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    On 16 September 2024, high-level officials of the European Union and United States met to review how work has progressed under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) since the ministerial meeting of April 2024 in Leuven, Belgium. The two sides took stock of the progress on joint work under way in various TTC working… Read more

  • Open, Collaborative, Competitive – a Digital Policy Agenda for Europe

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    The world has changed considerably in the past five years – a global pandemic, growing security challenges and geopolitical tensions, and the accelerated rate of technological change have altered the EU’s economic, social, and political landscape since 2019. Over the next five years digital innovation will continue accelerating, creating new opportunities and disruption for policymakers… Read more

  • DHS Establishes United States-United Kingdom-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group (SCRCG) to Tackle Supply Chain Threats

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    This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the United Kingdom (U.K.)’s Department for Business and Trade of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Australia’s Department of Industry, Science, and Resources established the United States-United Kingdom-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group to enhance efforts to combat threats to critical supply… Read more

  • African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Legal Texts and Policy Documents

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    The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a blueprint for attaining inclusive and sustainable development across the continent over the next 50 years. It aims to boost intra-African trade by providing a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement among the State Parties covering trade in goods and… Read more

  • EU and China launch Cross-Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism

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    On 27 August, the EU and China launched the first discussions under the new Cross-Border Data Flow Communication Mechanism.   Sabine Weyand, director-general of DG Trade at the European Commission, met with Vice-Minister Wang Jingtao of the Cyberspace Administration of China to formally launch the new mechanism.  The mechanism will focus on practical solutions to address problems… Read more

  • CBP Champions Trade Modernization Through Global Interoperability Standards Testing

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    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the agency’s 2024-2025 plan to accelerate testing and adoption of global interoperability standards, kicking off a new testing phase for innovative trade technology. The agency will work with private and public sector partners during the 2024 testing phase this fall, leading up to international testing in 2025. Interoperability… Read more

  • Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce

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    The following communication, dated 26 July 2024 is being circulated at the request of Australia, Japan and Singapore as Co-Convenors on behalf of the participants of the Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce. We recognise the importance of global electronic commerce and the opportunities it creates for inclusive trade and development, and the important role… Read more

  • EU and Singapore Conclude Negotiations for Landmark Digital Trade Agreement

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    Today, the EU and Singapore concluded negotiations for a Digital Trade Agreement (DTA). This deal is the first EU agreement of its kind, reflecting the EU’s aspiration to be a global standard-setter for digital trade rules and cross-border data flows. The DTA will complement the 2019 EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, connecting both economies further and benefiting businesses and consumers… Read more

  • Study on the potential impacts of a future EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement

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    The European Union (EU) and Singapore are currently negotiating a new EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement (EUSDTA). The EUSDTA builds on several existing trade arrangements between the EU and Singapore, including a bilateral free trade agreement, the investment protection agreement, which is pending ratification, and a negotiated set of digital trade principles. Negotiations for the EUSDTA… Read more

  • Legal Framework for Digital Development and Transformation in Selected Industries

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    In recent years, the development and widening application of emerging digital technology – e.g. Web 3.0 technology (including distributed ledger technology (“DLT”)), Internet of Things (“IoT”), artificial intelligence (“AI”) and automation – have transformed ways through which economic activities are conducted, leading to the emergence of a “digital economy”. Specifically, Web 3.0 technology may disrupt… Read more