The EU’s new approach to trade policy is based around the idea of “strategic autonomy”. The expression covers a number of proposals. One set of proposals reflects the EU’s desire to punish trade partners for “bad behaviour”. This might include state financial support to businesses that the engage in mergers and acquisitions in the EU; […]
Read moreAmar Breckenridge
Amar Breckenridge is a manager in Frontier Economics' public policy practice, and leads its work on international trade policy.
Amar’s work on trade spans trade policy analysis and modelling, support to dispute settlement and litigation, and trade negotiations. Amar spent five years as a staff economist at the World Trade Organisation prior to joining Frontier.
He is also a member of the Experts Network at ICTSD.
Miraculous catch or struggling to stay afloat? Early thoughts on the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference.
And so, in the final watch of the night, the WTO’s negotiators cast their nets one final time, and reeled in a collection of declarations and decisions. The “Geneva Package” isn’t a haul of biblical proportions. But it did include a multilateral agreement, that has been over 20 years in the making, on eliminating the […]
Read moreAn enhanced UK-Switzerland FTA: what are the main issues?
The UK and Switzerland jointly announced that they would begin exploratory work this year on negotiating a “modernised and enhanced” Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The two countries also announced that they would try and conclude a mutual recognition agreement on financial services by the end of 2023. We consider some of the issues. Some quirky […]
Read moreThe Times, They Are a-Changin’
The consequences of the war in Ukraine will be far reaching because the conflict is acting as a catalyst for deep-seated shifts in global economic governance, and trade in particular. Nearly fifty days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the costs of war are escalating at every level. The death toll, difficult to determine for a variety […]
Read moreTrade and Climate Change – Five Points to Consider
With COP-26 starting today and one month to go until the 12th WTO ministerial conference, the trade-climate nexus is under the spotlight yet again. We will host a panel to discuss these questions. You can register here. In the meantime, here is a quick overview of some of the questions by way of background. We […]
Read moreBridge over troubled waters? The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the future of UK trade policy
After long and arduous negotiations, the European Union and the United Kingdom signed a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on 24 December 2020. The agreement establishes the basis for the relationship between the two parties from 1 January 2021 onwards. The TCA largely corresponds to what we projected close to 3 years ago, given the […]
Read moreMiss U.S. much? First thoughts on what the Biden administration could mean for US trade policy and the UK
What could the election of Joseph R. Biden Jr. mean for US trade policy? Trade policy did not feature highly in the run up to the election (in contrast to 2016). And the immediate focus of the Biden administration is likely to be on dealing with Covid-19 and recovering from it. Its “Build back better” […]
Read moreTrade Policy Lessons from Covid 19
The Covid 19 pandemic has had a severe impact on international trade . The WTO recently projected that global trade could fall in real terms by upto 20% in 2020. A modest recovery could take place in 2021, but this is heavily dependent on the future course of Covid 19, measures taken in response, and […]
Read moreA tricky triangle: the UK’s negotiation positions for FTAs with the US and the EU
The UK has published, in quick succession, its negotiating position for free trade agreements with, respectively, the European Union and the United States. It is an ambitious project. Few countries have attempted parallel bilateral negotiations with both the US and the EU simultaneously. Substantial differences between these two parties, especially on key issues of regulation, […]
Read moreGoing global after Brexit? Three key principles for the UK and its role in the international trading system
The UK has begun its first working week since it has ceased to be a member of the European Union. Though in most practical ways not much has changed for now, the UK will speak in its own capacity on matters of international trade. On the evening of 31 January the UK formally notified the […]
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