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In one fell swoop, a legislative committee of the European Union Parliament has snubbed Chinas recent easing of restrictions on inbound foreign investment, rejected Beijings demand to be recognized as a market economy and established stringent requirements for the EUs possible contribution to Chinese President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

On Tuesday, the EU Parliaments trade committee overwhelmingly adopted a resolution amending the European Commissions proposed legislation on protection against dumped and subsidized imports from non-EU countries. In other words, EU lawmakers have decided to toughen the blocs rules against Chinas unfair trade and investment practices.

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Last September, the EU Commission set out a proposal to calculate anti-dumping measures against countries with significant market distortions i.e. where prices are government-determined and not market-based. New anti-dumping rules should be applied to all exporting nations regardless of whether they have market economy status. So, the old blacklist of non-market economies will be scrapped by the European grouping, and the EU Commission will investigate on a case-by-case basis, using international prices and costs as a benchmark, whether a nation (China) dumps its products or not.

The EU Commissions anti-dumping mechanism is actually a subterfuge to continue to deny market economy status to Beijing. The Asian giant became a member of the World Trade Organization in 2001. Under the related accession protocol, the EU should have recognized China as a market economy as of December 2016.

International standards and reciprocity

In addition to the EU Commissions provisions, the European Parliaments trade committee proposes that anti-dumping measures be imposed if an exporting country does not comply with international labor, fiscal and environmental standards, and discriminates against foreign investors.

The EU has 40 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures targeting unfair exports of various steel products, with 18 of them concerning imports from China, according to the EU Commission.

The EU Parliaments trade committee approved its resolution just four days after Chinas State Council had cut the number of restrictions, or special management measures, on foreign investors from 122 to 95 in the mainlands 11 free-trade zones. Sectors involved in the operation include aviation manufacturing, waterway transportation, banking services and education.

The move is viewed as an attempt to attract more foreign investment in China after last years contraction an inflow of US$133 billion, compared with $135 billion in 2015, according to the 2017 World Investment Report.

The European bloc has been repeatedly pressing Beijing to foster a friendlier investment environment on the mainland

The European bloc has been repeatedly pressing Beijing to foster a friendlier investment environment on the mainland. Earlier this month, at the 19th EU-China summit, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker underlined that while Chinese investment in the European Union increased by 77% in 2016, the flow in the other direction declined by almost a quarter.

To make a comparison, he added that EU investment in China last year was about 3% of what EU countries invested in the United States. Simply put, there is a lack of reciprocity in terms of market access between European companies that want to invest in China and Chinese firms that want to invest in Europe.

Whats more, the EUs new anti-dumping legislation has indirect implications for Belt and Road, Chinas grandiose plan to improve connectivity across Eurasia and beyond. In demanding that international labor, fiscal and environmental standards are taken into account in anti-dumping procedures, EU lawmakers ultimately question the transparency and fairness of Chinas trade and investment policies. It is worth remembering that during the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in May, EU member states rejected a final summit statement on trade because it did not clearly address such issues as environmental and social standards, among others things.

Pressuring China

The anti-dumping resolution voted by the EU Parliaments trade committee has to be passed at the assemblys plenary session in July and then adopted by the European Council the EUs intergovernmental body to complete its process of approval. But the general orientation is that the new anti-dumping scheme will get the green light, as it is supported by European heavyweights such as Germany, France and Italy.

With the introduction of this new legislation, Chinas pitch to create a united front with the EU in favor of the free market and globalization, and against the protectionist wave coming from Trumpian America, amounts to wishful thinking now more than ever.

For once, the European bloc has shown unity on a delicate global issue and Beijing will have to change its trade and investment paradigm if it wants to tie the EU to its strategies. Just to begin with, ensuring a level playing field on the mainland for EU investors and more transparency for the Belt and Road initiative would be concrete steps in that direction.

Even Chinas all-weather friend Pakistan has recently dared to introduce anti-dumping measures against Chinese steel products. Perhaps, in its battle against Beijings market distortions, the EU has chances to win.

Emanuele Scimia is a journalist and foreign policy analyst. He is a contributing writer to the South China Morning Post and the Jamestown Foundations Eurasia Daily Monitor. In the past, his articles have also appeared in The National Interest, Deutsche Welle, World Politics Review, The Jerusalem Post and the EUobserver, among others. He has written for Asia Times since 2011.

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The European Union dumps China - Asia Times

This is the picture that emerges from a joint report released today by the European External Action Service and the European Commission on the partnership between the EU and Lebanon for the period from March 2015 to April 2017. The report comes ahead of the 8th EU-Lebanon Association Council, scheduled to take place on 18th July 2017 in Brussels.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini said: "The European Union and Lebanon have a long-standing strong relationship that is built on joint work and close cooperation in a wide array of areas. We are working together on security, counter terrorism and on the regional crises, but also on growth and job creation which is key to all Lebanese. As we agreed at the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region in April, the European Union will continue to stand by Lebanon to implement the necessary reforms, support its stability and socio-economic development while promoting Lebanon's example of a pluralistic and democratic society. Lebanon can also count on the EU's support as it moves ahead with its democratic process following the agreement on a new electoral framework".

EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn commented: "The European Union is supporting Lebanon in many different areas, ranging from security to education and health. EU funds, as well as the EU/Lebanon relationship more generally, have contributed to the socio-economic development of the country, helped upgrade Lebanon's infrastructure, created opportunities for the private sector and supported important initiatives at the local level. The EU is determined to continue to support the country's longer term development goals. This is why we are engaging with Beirut on the opportunities that exist for concessional financing via the EU's Neighbourhood Investment Facility and the new European External Investment Plan. The EU is also supporting Lebanon in hosting so many people in need: EU funds help both refugee and vulnerable host communities, ensure that hundreds of thousands of children receive quality education and provide access to healthcare".

While the impact of the Syrian crisis continues to be felt across the region and beyond, Lebanon alone hosts more than 1.1 million registered refugees from Syria. Against the background of these challenges, the partnership between the EU and Lebanon has continuously strengthened and become more strategic and targeted. In line with the renewed European Neighbourhood Policy, the EU-Lebanon Partnership Priorities and Compact EU support and cooperation have been particularly focussed on developing the capacity of security and law enforcements agencies as well as a justice system in full respect of human rights, on achieving progress in the areas of good governance and the rule of law, fostering growth and job opportunities, and promoting a comprehensive and positive approach on migration and mobility.

In the last months, Lebanon has made important steps by electing a new president last October, thereby overcoming a 29-month institutional gridlock, and forming a new government last December. The Lebanese parliament's recent endorsement of a new electoral law (which happened after the closure of the reporting period) provides the basis for parliamentary elections to be held in the coming months. This further contributes to strengthening democratic institutions in the country.

Details

The report refers to the intensive cooperation on the multilateral, regional and bilateral fronts on all the above mentioned key topics and also addresses other areas such as such as education, research and innovation and culture as well as health that form part of the EU-Lebanon Compact. EU assistance to Lebanon in these areas is targeted at having a long-term effects on the country beyond addressing the impact of the Syrian conflict such as promoting public healthcare and education for all.

The European Union has mobilised some 1 billion to assist Lebanon since the beginning of the Syrian crisis. This includes EUR 439 million in humanitarian assistance to support refugees and vulnerable Lebanese, EUR 249.5 million from the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to enhance the capacities of Lebanese institutions at central and local levels, and to support them in the provision of basic services to Lebanese vulnerable communities, Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria. EUR 224.2 million are mobilised via the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis and projects worth EUR 57 million from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) will contribute to enhance stability, rule of law and reconciliation in the country.

For more information:

Full country report

EU support to Lebanon

Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon

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Report on the state of EU-Lebanon relations: strengthening our partnership - EU News

Fights over culinary traditions are common in Europe, where countries are fiercely protective of their gastronomical heritage, and the rule books are full of regional food and drink that are protected.

The European Union also has a role in deciding which products may use more generic names like milk and cream.

The rules cover thousands of foods and drinks from arnaki Elassonas (Greek lamb) to Zzrivsk vojky (Slovak cheese). To qualify for a protected name, products are usually required to be made in a specific place. As a result, cheese producers in northern England market a feta alternative as fettle.

Here are some of the more politically charged food disputes.

The dessert was meant to add a touch of distinction to Christmas dinners.

But the product, Champagne sorbet produced by a Belgian company and sold in Germany at Aldi, a discount supermarket chain was sacrilege for an august French industry.

The Comit Champagne, a trade association, sued Aldi for selling the frozen confection.

The dessert has nothing left of what makes Champagne, Richard Nieder, a lawyer for the association, told a Munich court three years ago.

Since then, the case has made its way to the European Unions highest court, the Court of Justice. A verdict is expected July 20.

Aldi said it had stopped selling the product but declined to comment further. Galana, the Belgian company that makes the product, did not respond to a request for comment.

Plant-based meat and dairy substitutes often use the names of the animal-based products they purport to replace.

But in Germany, this has caused consternation.

Christian Schmidt, the German agriculture minister, has called for a ban on terms like vegan currywurst, a plant-based version of a popular and piquant pork sausage snack, arguing that they confuse consumers.

The Verband Sozialer Wettbewerb, a German advocacy group that promotes fair competition, is not fond of the practice either.

It sued TofuTown, a major German producer of dairy alternatives, for violating European rules by marketing Soyatoo tofu butter and veggie cheese.

This month, the European Court of Justice agreed with the German association.

Makers of coconut milk, peanut butter and cream soda, however, can rest easy: They are among the exceptions already listed in the blocs Official Journal.

Europes rules do not just affect producers in the region, but those in countries that want to trade with the bloc. China agreed this month to respect rules protecting the names of 100 European Union foods and drinks, including feta cheese from Greece.

No such agreement is on the horizon with the United States. Much of the opposition comes from American producers in states like Wisconsin, who insist that their cheeses are just as good as those made by their European counterparts, and just as deserving of the name.

Cheese politics have at times even soured trade talks between the United States and the European Union. During those talks, Paul D. Ryan, the Republican House speaker and a Wisconsinite, insisted that producers in his state should be allowed to make feta and other cheeses for generations to come.

Manolis Kefalogiannis, a Greek lawmaker at the European Parliament, later said that the United States stance created the risk of mass imports of counterfeit feta into the E.U.

Gus, the mascot for the annual British Asparagus Festival, paints his face green and wears a giant asparagus crown headdress.

In a triumph for Gus, locally grown Vale of Evesham asparagus from the west of England was awarded protected status in December.

But with Britain negotiating its exit from the European Union, Gus is emerging as a symbol of efforts by British food producers to maintain the European system of recognizing local produce.

In April, Gus traveled to Brussels to present a huge bundle of Vale of Evesham asparagus to the head chef of the European Parliaments dining room, so lawmakers from other countries could taste its particular qualities.

Sales of British goods with protected names amounted to more than 5 billion (about $5.6 billion) annually, according to the most recent figures available from the European Commission.

Now, some British producers are trying to preserve the boost that Europes protected food names system gives their business.

Even cynics agree this is at least one good thing that has come out of the E.U., Anthea McIntyre, a British member of the European Parliament, said when Gus visited Brussels in April. In my opinion the system is too good to be lost.

Fights over the names of foods and drinks are not the only issue: Their ingredients and appearance can cause controversy too.

The European authorities faced an outcry over regulations that apparently banned bendy bananas (They didnt. Well, not really).

More serious is a case involving Parma and San Daniele ham, and the process of making those well-known products.

Italian investigators were examining whether breeders had used pig sperm from unauthorized sources. The practice may violate European Union rules that require that Parma ham be made from pigs from specified Italian regions.

Follow James Kanter on Twitter @jameskanter.

A version of this list appears in print on June 22, 2017, on Page B2 of the New York edition with the headline: An Olio of E.U. Rules, Leading to Food Fights.

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Take Feta. Add Frites. Stir in European Food Rules. Fight. - New York Times

File photo of a person receiving a flu shot.

LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images

LONDON -- The highest court of the European Union ruled Wednesday that courts can consider whether a vaccination led to someone developing an illness even when there is no scientific proof.

The decision was issued on Wednesday in relation to the case of a Frenchman known as Mr. J.W., who was immunized against hepatitis B in late 1998-99. About a year later, Mr. J.W. was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In 2006, he and his family sued vaccine-maker Sanofi Pasteur in an attempt to be compensated for the damage they claim he suffered due to the vaccine. Mr. J.W. died in 2011.

France's Court of Appeal ruled there was no causal link between the hepatitis B vaccine and multiple sclerosis, and dismissed the case. Numerous studies have found no relationship between the hepatitis B shot and multiple sclerosis.

After the case went to France's Court of Cassation, it was brought to the European Union.

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On Wednesday, the EU's top court said that despite the lack of scientific consensus on the issue, a vaccine could be considered defective if there is "specific and consistent evidence," including the time between a vaccine's administration, the individual's previous state of health, the lack of any family history of the disease and a significant number of reported cases of the disease occurring following vaccination.

In a statement, the court said that such factors could lead a national court to conclude that "the administering of the vaccine is the most plausible explanation" for the disease and that "the vaccine therefore does not offer the safety that one is entitled to expect." It did not rule on the specific French case.

Sanofi Pasteur did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Some vaccine experts slammed the ruling, saying the court's threshold for linking a vaccine to side effects is too low.

Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccines expert at the University of Pennsylvania, said the criteria used by the court made no sense and are similar to those used by vaccine injury compensation programs in the United States.

"Using those criteria, you could reasonably make the case that someone should be compensated for developing leukemia after eating a peanut butter sandwich," he said. Offit said the courts shouldn't be trusted to make rulings about scientific evidence. "It's very frustrating that they have such a ridiculously low bar for causality," he said, adding that anti-vaccination supporters have long relied on such court judgments to bolster their campaign against vaccines.

Offit said the court's decision was concerning and hoped it wouldn't spur more people to reject vaccines.

"Vaccines save lives and people who choose not to vaccinate their children are putting those children at risk," he said. "To prove whether one thing causes another has to happen in a scientific venue, and the courts are not a scientific venue."

2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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EU court: Vaccines can be blamed for illnesses without proof - CBS News

London: Coincidence or a subliminal message? Queen Elizabeth has stirred up social media as she opened parliament in a hat looking very much like a European Union flag.

Delivering a formal speech in which Prime Minister Theresa May's government laid out its strategy for exiting the EU, the monarch sported a blue chapeau decorated with an arc of blue flowers each with a bright yellow disc at its centre.

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Queen Elizabeth II said the UK government will work to secure the best possible deal on leaving the EU, as she addressed the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday.

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The Australian government is offering support to the Philippines as its military battles Islamist militants aligned with Islamic State. National Security correspondent David Wroe explains.

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In an interview with US magazine Newsweek, Prince Harry has said nobody in his family wants to be king or queen.

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The fatal bashing of a Muslim girl with a baseball bat has sparked outrage in the US, but police say there is nothing yet to indicate it was a hate crime.

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The embattled White House press secretary has not had an easy time in the spotlight, but he could have gotten a few facts (and names) straight.

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There was yoga in Stonehenge and festivals in France, but the bravest celebration may have been in Tasmania.

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On August 21st, for the first time in almost a century, a total solar eclipse will reach across the United States, plunging a strip over 100 kilometres wide, into darkness.

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There are also concerns about the impact of a change of succession in Saudi Arabia on the oil market, David Pollard reports.

Queen Elizabeth II said the UK government will work to secure the best possible deal on leaving the EU, as she addressed the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday.

It was all a bit Brussels and Strasbourg, where the EU flag a blue ensign with a circle of yellow stars on it holds pride of place,

"Queen delivers speech outlining Brexit plans wearing a hat that looks suspiciously like a EUROPEAN flag," the right-wing, anti-EU Daily Mail newspaper tweeted.

Some thought it might have been deliberate on the Queen's part.

"A bit like her insisting on driving the Saudi king! Subtle royal politics," Simon Hix, political science professor at London School of Economics tweeted.

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As head of state, the British monarch refrains from taking public positions on political issues.

A headline published in British tabloid The Sun last year claiming that the Queen "backed Brexit", prompted official denials and a complaint to press regulators, which ruled that it was significantly misleading.

USPresident Donald Trump's proposed visit to the UKlater this year was conspicuous by its absence from the Queen's speech.

Despite Mr Trump accepting an invitation for a state visit during the prime minister's visit to Washington in January, the queen only said she and her husband Prince Philip "look forward to welcoming" the king and queen of Spain in July.

State visits have traditionally been announced by the monarch in her speeches to Parliament.

There were protests after Mr Trump was invited so soon after his inauguration, and Mrs May said on June 6 that the president was "wrong" to criticise London Mayor Sadiq Khan over his response to the London Bridge terrorist attack that killed eight people.

Mr Trump used Twitter to accuse Mr Khan of being "pathetic," in contrast to Mrs May saying that the mayor, a member of the opposition Labour Party, was "doing a good job."

Britain is trying to persuade Mr Trump to sign a post-Brexit trade deal.

While his predecessor Barack Obama said Britain would be "at the back of the queue" if it voted to leave the European Union, Mr Trump initially promised a quick deal with the UKbefore appearing to prioritisean agreement with the bloc it is leaving.

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said in February that the visit would take place in June and the force was preparing for "lots of protests."

That was before Mrs May called the June 8 election that cost her Conservative Party its parliamentary majority and a fire in a London apartment block killed dozens and led to anti-government protests on the streets.

The prospect of Mr Trump being greeted with demonstrations was only one aspect of planning for the proposed visit by the head of state of a crucial ally to Britain.

The speaker of the House of Commons also made it clear that he would not be allowed to address Parliament.

"I feel very strongly our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons," John Bercow said when explaining his decision in February.

Asked about the state visit earlier this month, the London mayor said: "I don't think we should be rolling out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for."

The absence of Mr Trump's visit from the speech is a far cry from the way the invitation was announced in the early days of his presidency.

"I have today been able to convey Her Majesty the Queen's hope that President Trump and the First Lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year and I'm delighted that the president has accepted that invitation," Mrs May said in a press conference in the White House in January.

Reuters, Bloomberg

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Queen Elizabeth stirs social media with hat resembling the European Union flag - The Sydney Morning Herald