Discussion paper

DP6284 EU Commercial Policy in a Multipolar Trading System

In recent years the bipolar multilateral trading system of the post-war years has given way to a multipolar alternative. Although many specifics have yet to be determined, some contours of this new trade policy landscape are coming into focus and in this short essay I examine their implications for the European Union's external commercial policy. Particular attention is given to both the state of business-government relations and the propensity to liberalise under the auspices of reciprocal trade agreements by Brazil, India, and China; the potential new poles of the world trading system. I consider the likely consequences of these developments, plus factors internal to both the European Union and the United States, for the possible content of future multilateral trade initiatives.

£6.00
Citation

Evenett, S (2007), ‘DP6284 EU Commercial Policy in a Multipolar Trading System‘, CEPR Discussion Paper No. 6284. CEPR Press, Paris & London. https://cepr.org/publications/dp6284