Posts Tagged free trade
Curing British procurement
Posted by Stephen Clarke in Economics, European Union, Politics on 20/06/2011
Although the business press concentrated on Greece’s economic woes over the weekend, more attention should’ve been paid to the British economy and news that train-maker Bombardier is to review its UK operations. It is speculated that the reason for the review is the failure of the firm to win a major contract to build carriages for the Thameslink project. Does the decision suggest it’s time to rethink the Government’s procurement strategy?
Swinging towards free trade?
Posted by James Gubb in European Union on 05/12/2006
The European Commission is due to launch plans tomorrow for a ‘new generation’ of free trade agreements with the fast-growing ASEAN countries, South Korea and India. It is being hailed as the epitome of Mandelson’s drive to ‘Lisbonise’ EU trade policy in line with the strategy paper ‘Global Europe: competing in the world’ (Oct 06), which called for the rejection of protectionism across the EU and for the EU to play an active role in opening up markets abroad.
One has, at least, got to credit him for trying. And trying fairly hard. The strategy is purposefully based on “more rigorous” calculation of the possible economic gains from such free trade deals; in the case of South Korea, for example, Mandelson’s office has calculated that there lies the opportunity to increase trade by 30 per cent. There is also little doubt that the Commission’s request for a mandate to negotiate these free trade deals has been presented ‘en masse’ to make it more difficult for member states to pick-and-choose individual countries or regions, thereby blocking the process.
Who knows, it might succeed. But the ‘Prince of Darkness’ will need all his cunning to negotiate through some of the more protectionist states in the EU camp.