Latest Posts
Search for:
Category

European Union

Category

EU and Singapore sign digital trade agreement

By , , , and 3 Mins Read

On 7 May 2025, the EU and Singapore took a step forward by signing a landmark Digital Trade Agreement (“DTA”). The DTA is a self-standing agreement – meaning it is separate to the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement. This comprehensive agreement goes beyond traditional trade deals, focusing specifically on facilitating digital trade and addressing emerging challenges in the digital economy. Upon implementation, the DTA should bolster consumer confidence, guarantee reliable data…

EU: The CJEU clarifies the concept of repayment granted “in error”

By , , , and 4 Mins Read

On 30 April 2025, the European Court of Justice (“CJEU“) issued a judgment on the concept of repayment granted “in error” as laid down in Article 116(7) of the Union Customs Code (“UCC“). This article (116 (7) of the UCC) provides that if customs authorities have granted repayment or remission in error, the original customs debt shall be re-instated (insofar not time-barred). The CJEU ruled that the concept of repayment granted in ‘error’ should be…

EU: Highlights of EU Trade Commissioner’s announcement on future of EU-US trade

By , , and 4 Mins Read

Introduction Yesterday Commissioner MaroĆĄ Ć efčovič at the Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) held a press conference following the recent developments following Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs Announcement (see our blog post on that topic here). Commissioner Ć efčovič addressed the current trade landscape between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for strategic collaboration. The Impact of Tariffs on EU Exports Approximately €380 billion worth of EU exports to the US,…

EU and UK: Expected response to US Section 232 tariff announcement

By , , , , , and 4 Mins Read

As reported in our earlier blog here, on Monday 10 February 2025, President Trump announced that 25% tariffs will be imposed on all steel and aluminum products imported into the United States (“US”), including from the EU and the UK which were previously subject to exclusions. These tariffs are due to come into effect on 12 March 2025. The key question now is how other jurisdictions such as the EU and the UK will retaliate. …

EU: ECJ Judgment in Case C‑781/23 regarding temporary admission procedures

By and 2 Mins Read

On 12 December 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered a judgment in the case C‑781/23, which has implications for businesses importing goods under temporary admission. The case arose from a request for a preliminary ruling from the Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen (Supreme Administrative Court, Sweden) and involved Malmö Motorrenovering AB and AllmĂ€nna ombudet hos Tullverket. Background of the Case The central issue in this case was the interpretation of Article 251 of the Union Customs Code (UCC).…

EU Forced Labour Regulation adopted and published in the EU Official Journal

By , and 2 Mins Read

On 12 December, the EU Forced Labour Regulation (“Regulation”) was published in the EU Official Journal. The publication is following the EU Council’s approval of the Regulation on 19 November 2024. The text of the Regulation was approved by qualified majority with 25 EU Member States voting in favour and 2 EU Member States abstaining from voting. The Regulation was signed by the President of the European Parliament and the President of the EU Council…

EU: Ruling from the highest court has impact on companies’ ability to relocate manufacturing in response to trade wars

By , , , , , and 4 Mins Read

In a landmark ruling on 21 November 2024, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) dismissed an appeal, upholding the General Court of the European Union’s original decision that relocation of production from the US to Thailand with the dominant purpose of avoiding EU retaliatory tariffs on US-origin goods could not be “economically justified” and as such falls foul of the EU’s “anti-circumvention” rules. This decision could have wide-ranging impacts, including a significant impact on companies’…

Inward processing in continuous production processes is complicated if anti-dumping duties are in play

By , and 2 Mins Read

Companies engaged in continuous production processes may face challenges when using the EU inward processing procedure. For background, inward processing allows an EU company to import materials without having to pay import duties and other charges like anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties, if the product made with these imported materials is exported. First, EU customs law allows companies to use inward processing if the imported non-EU materials used in the production can be identified in the…

Storage and inward processing dilemma when EU anti-dumping measures are in place

By , and 2 Mins Read

Under EU customs law, storing and warehousing EU and non-EU goods is possible if certain conditions are met. However, since 2020, non-EU goods subject to anti-dumping, countervailing, or safeguard measures, can no longer be stored together with EU goods. This is because EU customs law now states that non-EU goods subject to anti-dumping measures do not have the same commercial quality as EU goods, and goods that do not have the same commercial quality cannot…

Customs cases no longer ruled upon by the European Court of Justice – Changes to the jurisdiction of the General Court

By and 3 Mins Read

The rules (Statute) of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) have recently changed. The changes aim to enhance the EU judicial process and reduce the workload of the CJEU. The number of requests for preliminary rulings have increased significantly over the years. In cases concerning preliminary rulings, EU member state courts ask for the opinion of the CJEU on issues of EU law to help give a judgment in a national case.…