A last-ditch attempt to reform the World Trade Organization failed at its ministerial conference in Cameroon, pushing a coalition of the willing to strike out on its own to save rules-based trade.
As ministerial talks at the World Trade Organization stretched into overtime this evening, the delegates who had not yet caught their flights home were bracing for a decision on how a work plan to overhaul the struggling institution can move forward.
A new coalition of European and Indo-Pacific nations has agreed to explore plans to strike a digital trade agreement, marking a significant step forward for the alliance of middle powers.
Sixty-six members of the World Trade Organization have today decided to forge ahead with a new path to bring an e-commerce agreement into force, with consensus among all WTO members still to be reached.
EXPLAINER: Warsaw and Lille are leading a pack of nine candidates vying to host the EU’s customs cops.
But the sheer complexity of the voting process could mean they miss out on the prize.
Here’s how it would work:
🔴 The EU is voting, Eurovision-style, to pick a city to host its customs cops.
Nine cities are in the running.
If things move quickly, we could have a winner in the next few hours. But if it’s close, this could turn into an all-day affair.
Live: www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...
And here’s our spontaneous live blog on the contest ... Lille and Rome are through from the Council side.
MEPs still deliberating:
www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...
Once an energy lobbyist ...
“It’s a bit like Eurovision: Countries tend to vote for their neighbors, regardless of the quality of the song … “
Read the ultimate explainer on today’s election of the host city for the EU Customs Authority, by @koenverhelst.bsky.social with Natália Delgado.
www.politico.eu/article/how-...
NYT: How an unpaid Trump associate gained power over key part of government security services: “There were also mounting concerns among homeland security officials that Mr. Lewandowski was trying to enrich himself through his role.”
There seem to be two possible outcomes for Hungary’s election:
- Orban loses, refuses to accept defeat, and Trump backs him, threatening retaliation if he does not stay in power
- Orban wins thanks to Russian and US interference
I hope the EU is prepared
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
NEW: The Trump administration has reassured the EU’s top trade lawmaker that it will shorten a list of items containing steel that are subject to high US tariffs, in a move that could finally persuade the Parliament to back the EU-US deal.
W @arihawkins.bsky.social
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
‼️🇭🇺 🇺🇸 MAGA interference in Hungary's elections incoming
Putin's tricks have not yet narrowed Peter Magyar's 10-13% lead, so the Trump Administration and JD Vance is going to have a go
Don't think it'll work. If anything, could actually help Tisza
Some?
Peter Thiel Fears the Antichrist Is Coming. In Rome, Some Call His View Heresy. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/w...
Brussels says its ‘Made in Europe’ act is ready for prime time. Here’s why it isn’t.
@jordyndahl.bsky.social @audevdh.bsky.social @ziaweise.bsky.social and @framiche.bsky.social break down the delayed-but-still-rushed Industrial Accelerator Act due out today.
www.politico.eu/article/brus...
I've been working on this for ages in various countries: the story of the intelligence buildup to Putin's 2022 invasion. How did the US and Britain find out so much, and why were Europe and Ukraine sceptical.
It's a long one:
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Trump said on Saturday he will increase his global tariff to 15%, up from the 10% he announced on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his signature tariff policy.
The White House has not officially implemented the newly increased tariffs.
www.politico.eu/article/trum...
This one's for the nerds.
Under pressure to raise its trade game as the US and China close faster deals, Brussels wants to cut almost a year off the time it takes to approve trade deals, according to an internal plan seen by POLITICO.
@koenverhelst.bsky.social
www.politico.eu/article/brus...
New from me: a short piece on what comes next for the EU-Mercosur deal (spoiler: more trouble), and what ratification hurdles tell us about the EU's capacity to deliver on its geoeconomic ambitions.
Mindestens
EXCLUSIVE: Canadian PM Mark Carney is spearheading discussions between the EU and a major Indo-Pacific trade bloc after calling on middle powers to join forces.
The aim is to short-circuit Donald Trump’s tariffs.
🔗 politi.co/4ayYnTn
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is planning to travel to Australia this month to clinch a security and trade deal, according to a person familiar with the talks.
There are two particular problems with the EU's protectionist proposals around industry. One is to continue giving the impression that China's main mistake in its eyes was to succeed. The other is the lack of evidence that what the EU is proposing is why China succeeded.
Single unnamed source? Berlin dateline? C’mon
EXCLUSIVE: Germany has joined France in saying it will ask the European Commission to explore unleashing the EU's so-called trade "bazooka" in response to Trump's threat to seize Greenland, according to five diplomats with knowledge of the situation.
🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-b...
Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland has blown up last year’s transatlantic trade truce and forced the EU into a familiar dilemma: hit back hard, or try to buy time.
