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EU and China to Continue Technical Negotiations on Electric Vehicle Tariffs

By  |  October 27, 2024

The European Union and China have announced plans to engage in further technical negotiations regarding alternatives to tariffs on electric vehicles manufactured in China. This decision follows a video conference between Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU trade chief, and Wang Wentao, China’s Minister of Commerce, as reported by the European Commission on Friday.

As part of its anti-subsidy investigation, the EU is poised to impose additional tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese-built electric vehicles starting next week. However, officials from the EU have indicated that discussions may persist beyond this deadline. According to a Reuters report, both parties are considering minimum price commitments from Chinese manufacturers or potential investments in Europe as viable substitutes for these tariffs.

During the recent talks, the Commission highlighted that several significant gaps remain in negotiations despite having already conducted eight rounds of discussions with their Chinese counterparts. In response, China’s commerce ministry expressed a willingness to host the EU delegation in China “as soon as possible.” They reiterated their position that price commitments could serve as a pathway to resolving the ongoing trade dispute.

Read more: Australia’s Car Industry Presses ACCC to Focus on Electric Vehicles

Dombrovskis and Wang emphasized their mutual dedication to finding a solution that would ensure fair competition within the EU market while remaining consistent with World Trade Organization regulations. Per Reuters, Dombrovskis also voiced concerns regarding China’s ongoing investigations into EU products such as brandy, pork, and dairy, describing these inquiries as “unsubstantiated.”

China has countered by asserting that its investigations adhere to both domestic and international trade rules.

Source: Reuters

Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Halts Ruling in Consumer Bureau Battle Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Halts Ruling in CFPB Battle

Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Halts Ruling in Consumer Bureau Battle

By  |  April 3, 2025

A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily put on hold a lower court ruling that had delivered a significant victory to government employees and consumer advocates opposing President Donald Trump’s efforts to curtail the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). According to Reuters, the decision maintains a temporary pause while the court considers an emergency request from the Justice Department to overturn the previous ruling entirely.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stopped short of reversing any provisions set forth by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in her March 28 ruling. Per Reuters, her decision had ordered the CFPB to reinstate dismissed employees, restore canceled contracts, and continue performing its legally mandated duties. However, the appellate judges left in place interim measures preventing the administration from taking further action against agency staff or halting essential operations.

Despite the temporary stay, the three-judge panel emphasized that the decision should not be interpreted as an indication of their final ruling. “The purpose of this administrative stay is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for stay pending appeal and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion,” the order stated, according to Reuters.

Related: CFPB Allows Some Operations to Resume Amid Legal Challenge

The Justice Department formally notified the court on Saturday of its intent to challenge Judge Berman Jackson’s order, seeking to overturn her directive that prevented the administration from erasing agency data, terminating employees, or discontinuing active contracts. The Trump administration’s moves against the CFPB began in February when the president dismissed the agency’s director and granted officials from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency extensive access to sensitive CFPB data systems. The actions resulted in widespread layoffs, contract cancellations, and office closures, prompting consumer protection groups and affected workers to file a lawsuit denouncing the changes as unlawful.

According to Reuters, agency leadership has since attempted to walk back some of these measures, a move Judge Berman Jackson described as likely “a charade for the court’s benefit.” While the appeals court’s temporary stay keeps aspects of the lower court’s ruling in place for now, the broader legal battle over the CFPB’s future remains unresolved.

Source: Reuters