The politics of global value chains: import-dependent firms and EU–Asia trade agreements
By
Jappe Eckhardt and Arlo Porletti
In 2006, the European Commission released its Global Europe Communication, in which it announced a shift from a multilateral to a bilateral trade strategy. One of the key pillars of this new strategy was to strengthen the bilateral trade relations with key Asian countries. In contrast to existing analyses that focus on European Union (EU) decision-makers’ agency, we propose an explanation for this notable shift in the EU’s trade policy that stresses the political role of import-dependent firms. In light of the increasing integration of such firms into global value chains, the article argues that a plausible case can be made, both theoretically and empirically, that import-dependent firms had a clear stake in the signing of preferential trade agreements between the EU and Asian countries and that their lobbying efforts significantly affected the EU’s decision to start negotiations on such agreements with South Korea, India and Vietnam [Culled from T and F online].
This journal publication is available to order online and in stores via the same webpage. See DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2015.1085073
Business Lobbying and Trade Governance: The Case of EU-China Relations
By
Jappe Eckhardt
The above titled book was co-authored by one of GIFTAproject’s very own; Dr Jappe Eckhardt.
What role do firms play in European Union (EU) trade policymaking? “What is the effect of the globalization of production and the emergence of global value chains on the trade preferences, lobby strategies and political influence of various business groups in the EU? How does an established power like the EU deal with the rise of China and how does it regulate the drastically changed patterns of trade in the 21st Century? This book investigates the pivotal political role of firm lobbying within the context of EU-China trade relations, and focusses on the circumstances under which the winners and losers of globalization in the EU lobby, as well as on the receptiveness of decision-makers in the EU to their demands. By examining a series of recent EU-China trade defense cases, the book provides a fresh and innovative account of business-government relations in the EU and sheds new light on the complex trade relations between the EU and China. The book is a must read for students, scholars and practitioners interested in the European Union, trade politics, China’s rise, global value chains and international political economy” [Culled from Palgrave webpage].
This book is available to order online and in stores via the same webpage. See: <http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/business-lobbying-and-trade-governance-jappe-eckhardt/?K=9781137325433>.
Note: *Click on title above for full details and price discounts-members and non-members included, terms and conditions apply)
The above titled book was co-authored by one of GIFTAproject’s very own; Dr Gabriel Siles-Brugge. This book is available to order online and in stores.
“Ministers from the Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – and from Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama signed the Protocol of Accession of Guatemala to the EFTA-Central American Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 22 June 2015 in Schaan, Liechtenstein. Guatemala is the first country to accede to this FTA, which will further enhance the economic ties and promote trade and investment between the EFTA States and Guatemala“. (EFTA, 2015)
On the 27th of May 2015, CIDOB, in collaboration with the United States Consulate General in Barcelona and the support of the Europe for Citizens program, organized a seminar on Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The seminar was coordinated by Professor Sangeeta Khorana from Bournemouth University, and attended by Former US Trade Negotiator and Ambassador Shaun Donelly, Lars Nilsson from the European Commission, and other eminent people from the academia and activist organisations.
JIOR is making a call for papers for a special issue focusing primarily on India, its growing role in the region and how it is influencing changing dynamics in the region. The issue is planned for publication in December 2016.
A two year position as Post-doctoral Research Associate is currently being advertised at the Queen Mary University of London. It is part of an ESRC-funded project on EU Free Trade Agreements and labour standards, and will involve fieldwork in Western and Eastern Europe.
The opposition to TTIP is gathering pace. A concerted effort has been focused on the landing page which represents a large swathe of left-leaning political groups in the UK. There was also plenty of robust discussion on the subject of FTAs at the recent Open Rights Group conference, ORGcon, held in London in November.
Government and economic Integration through Free-Trade Agreements