The EPICENTER report, Trade in a Time of Tariffs, examines the European Union’s evolving trade landscape amid rising global protectionism and geopolitical uncertainty.
As of 2017, the EU has 44 trade agreements in place with more than 60 countries across the globe. In addition, five accords have been finalised but are not yet being applied (with East African countries, Ecuador, Singapore, Vietnam and West Africa).
On December 5th, Paul Magnette, the current Minister-President of the French-speaking region of Wallonia, Belgium, unveiled his so-called “Namur Declaration”, a 3-page-long statement whose aim is to “radically remake” EU trade policy.
The free-trade deal between Canada and the European Union has often been described as a template for the potentially much larger Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership currently being negotiated with the United States. As such it provides a good case study in the pitfalls that might plague, not just the TTIP, but other future trade agreements that the EU embarks upon.