EU treaty implications for trade unclear

The defining message emanating from a meeting of trade experts on Tuesday (8 December) was one of uncertainty regarding Lisbon Treaty changes to the EU's external commercial policy.

"Lisbon gives us a signpost but doesn't tell us exactly which way to go," said Roderick Abbott, a senior trade advisor with the European Centre for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based think-tank, which hosted the commerce debate.

Despite the multiple question marks however, a number of b...