News: Centre of Excellence
Asia-Europe Sustainable Connectivity (AESCON 2020)
The Asia-Europe Sustainable Connectivity Scientific Conference (AESCON) conference is a major ASEM preparatory event around the theme of connectivity. The conference was organized principally by the European Commission Joint Research Centre and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and attracted participants from governments, think tanks, universities and the private sector. Initially scheduled to be held in Singapore on 25-27 February, the conference was postponed and held online on 22-25 September.
[Read more about Asia-Europe Sustainable Connectivity (AESCON 2020)]
Report on Potential Benefits of an Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement
IIT hosted an online discussion on potential benefits of an Australia-UK free trade agreement with Elisabeth Bowes, Chief Negotiator, Regional Trade Agreements Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Vivien Life, Director Asia and Australasia Negotiations within the UK Department for International Trade. The two negotiators emphasized the like-mindedness of the UK and Australia when it came to international trade, implying that an agreement could be reached speedily.
[Read more about Report on Potential Benefits of an Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement]
Joining the WTO
Richard Pomfret presented a paper on Uzbekistan’s WTO accession in the series Virtual Seminars on Applied Economics and Policy Analysis in Central Asia. The paper tracks what will be the longest ever WTO accession negotiations and emphasizes the changing nature of membership commitments since the WTO was established in 1995.
Brexit Done, A UK-EU Trade Agreement to Go?
By Richard Pomfret, Professor of Economics & Jean Monnet Chair Economics of European Integration, the University of Adelaide
A trade agreement between the UK and EU27 looks in trouble. The UK left the EU on 31 January. 2020 is the transition year when the Withdrawal Agreement is implemented and the UK and EU reach agreement on their future relations. Distracted by COVID, some people, e.g. Irish deputy PM Simon Coveney, argue that this timeframe for reaching agreement in future relations is too short, while UK negotiators insist that the deadline is non-negotiable.
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Europe and Australia: Seizing the opportunity for recovery and bounceback.
26 May, Peter Horn (Austrade General Manager, Europe) and Alison Burrows (Chief Negotiator, EU-Australia FTA) spoke in a webinar on Europe and Australia: Seizing the opportunity for recovery and bounceback
[Read more about Europe and Australia: Seizing the opportunity for recovery and bounceback. ]
Emerging from Lockdown: Threats to the international trade system
Richard Pomfret - Professor of Economics & Jean Monnet Chair Economics of European Integration, The University of Adelaide
As COVID-19 curves flatten globally and policymakers’ attention turns to resuming economic activity safely, attention is inevitably focused on domestic matters. What is the trade-off between the economic costs of caution that delays economic revival and the health costs of over-hasty removal of measures that are holding back the spread of the virus?
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Europe Day 2020
On 9 May the EU celebrates peace and unity in Europe. It marks the anniversary of the day in 1950, when Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister and former German soldier, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe's nations unthinkable.
Is Competition from China So Special?
Dr Benedikt Heid, Senior Lecturer - School of Economics The University of Adelaide
The rapid increase in China’s exports in recent decades has led to concerns that they are displacing other countries’ exports. As the sophistication of Chinese exports has increased, the concerns are now shared by high-income countries including Australia.
In a new Discussion Paper (Is Competition from China So Special?), Dr. Benedikt Heid from the University of Adelaide School of Economics and two co-authors from Spanish universities analyse Spanish exports from 1997 to 2016.
The EU and COVID-19
Richard Pomfret - Professor of Economics & Jean Monnet Chair Economics of European Integration, The University of Adelaide
The EU has had a crisis-ridden decade with the sovereign debt, migration and Brexit crises. By the end of 2019, with the Greek debt crisis winding down, migration and refugees out of the headlines and Brexit done, skies looked clearer for the new Commission under Ursula von der Leyen and the new head of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde.
The UK after Brexit
Richard Pomfret - Professor of Economics & Jean Monnet Chair Economics of European Integration, The University of Adelaide
On 31 January 2020 Britons celebrated or mourned the UK’s departure from the European Union. Brexit will be followed by a transition period until the end of the current EU budget cycle on 31 December 2020. During the transition, the UK will continue to adhere to EU rules while managing the practicalities of Brexit.
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