Over the past year the eBay Public Policy Lab released five reports that examined the trade and growth patterns of enterprises using the eBay Marketplace.

The December 2016 issue of Technology Innovation and Management Review, themed “Smart Cities and Regions”, included an article authored by Hanne Melin, eBay Director of Global Public Policy, Samuel Laurinkari, eBay Senior Manager Government Relations, and Taina Tukiainen, Cabinet Member of the President of the EU Committee of the Regions.

Australian Prime Minister the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP meets with eBay group, including eBay President & CEO Devin Wenig, eBay Vice President of Global Government Relations & Public Policy Tekedra Mawakana, and eBay Director of Government Relations for Australia, New Zealand, Japan & Southeast Asia Kristen Foster.

EU Advocacy Day participants

This week eBay’s Kristen Foster briefed senior Malaysian Government officials and Malaysian small businesses visiting Australia on the benefits of cross border trade facilitated by ecommerce. The briefing was part of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation’s (MATRADE) Export Acceleration Mission in conjunction with the Malaysia Business Forum.

eBay recently met with key Ministers and Members of Japanese Parliament in the Diet on ecommerce and SME opportunities in Japan. With the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese government is focused on innovation and exporting Japan to the world – which makes eBay’s enablement of cross border trade extremely relevant.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key unexpectedly announced this week that he’s retiring after 8 years in NZ’s top job. PM Key has advised if his Deputy PM and Finance Minister Bill English puts his name forward in the Caucus ballot he will vote for him.

Both leaders have been instrumental in turning around NZ’s economy since they came into government. Key’s announcement focusses on not having enough “left in the tank” to serve a fourth term. He’s confident the Nationals will return to government in the general election in 2017.

A sample of the illegal wildlife products seized by the US Fish & Wildlife Service

Yesterday eBay participated in the Uniting Against Wildlife Crime event hosted by the US Wildlife Trafficking Alliance. This event, which took place at National Geographic in Washington, DC, offered a stage for members of the Alliance to share the progress they’ve made to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.

Brian Bieron, Executive Director of Global Public Policy, recently traveled to Korea to represent eBay at the 2016 Seoul Conference on Trade & Industry. The theme of the conference was “Leveraging Trade as a New Growth Engine” and the goals were: to explore the causes and determinants of the recent global trade slowdown and the future prospects of trade growth, and to examine the Trans-Pacific Partnership and digital trade as new engines for global trade and growth.