Us china joint trade

The UK has defended its unilateral action over the Northern Ireland protocol, calling the move "temporary and technical steps" which "largely" continue measures already in place. It comes after the European Union said it will take legal action over Britain's decision to continue Irish Sea border grace periods until October. European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said the UK's move amounted to a violation of its post-Brexit obligations. The first of the light-touch regulation schemes on goods from the rest of the UK transiting to Northern Ireland had been due to expire at the end of March. Supermarkets would have had to produce export health certificates for all shipments of animal products since Northern Ireland is part of the EU's single market. Advertisement Cabinet member Lord David Frost said the UK's intervention should allow time for positive discussions with counterparts in Brussels. In an effort to ensure there is no hard … [Read more...] about UK’s unilateral action on Northern Ireland protocol ‘temporary steps’ as EU vows legal move

SPAIN is looking at introducing UK travel corridors again this summer for Brits if the vaccine passport scheme doesn't go ahead. Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés said if the immunisation certificate does not succeed, Spain is willing to consider bilateral agreements and corridors "with third countries", according to the Spanish press. This would include the UK. He explained: "The way to allow travel in Europe must be decided at the level of the European Union but if those decisions cannot be taken, we will think of other solutions such as corridors, green corridors with third countries that can help us to restart tourist flows." He said that the vaccination rollout in the UK meant that the summer is looking likely for Brits to return . Bookings to Spanish hotspots are already soaring following Boris Johnson's announcement of his roadmap to freedom which could see life return to normal by June 21. Mr. Valdés said decisions on allowing travel must … [Read more...] about Boost for Spanish holidays as country plans ‘green corridors’ for UK travel if vaccine passports don’t go ahead

Germany on Wednesday took a step towards forcing companies to take responsibility for any labor or environmental abuses in their global supply chain. A new law (Lieferkettengesetz in German) allows for hefty fines starting at several hundred thousand euros if their contractors abroad are found to breach human rights or environmental rules. The fines go up to two percent of the company's annual revenues if they exceed 400 million euros ($484 million). The companies are held responsible for every step of the way: from the raw materials to the finished product. "This law protects workers from exploitation across sprawling supply chains and protects human rights across the world," Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, adding "In future, it will be clear that 'Made in Germany' also means respect for human rights." The SPD-run development and labor ministries initially wanted the law to also target smaller companies, but backed down in the face of strong opposition from the … [Read more...] about Germany to implement supply chain law against exploitation