In July CEPR organized the first European Research Workshop in International Trade, with support from the Commission of the European Communities and the European Free Trade Association. The workshop, which will be held annually, took place this year at the University of Sussex. The workshop aims to stimulate European research on new approaches to trade theory and to encourage collaborative work between trade economists based in different European countries, especially work with a European policy focus. The 1988 workshop was attended by 25 economists from eight European countries.
Much of the research presented was still under development. The papers discussed at the workshop included:
Caroline Digby (University of Sussex), Alasdair Smith (University of Sussex and CEPR) and Anthony Venables (University of Southampton and CEPR) Counting the Cost of Voluntary Export Restrictions in the European Car Market (now available as CEPR Discussion Paper No. 249)
Jan Haaland (Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Bergen) and Victor Norman (NSEBA and CEPR) EFTA and the World Economy: Comparative Advantage and Trade Policy
P A Brenton (University of Wales, Bangor) and L Alan Winters (University of Wales and CEPR) Voluntary Export Restraints: UK Restrictions on Imports of Leather Footwear from Eastern Europe (now available as CEPR Discussion Paper No. 283)
Jean-Louis Mucchielli and Fabrice Mazalrolle (Université de Paris I) Intra-Industry, Intra-Product Trade and International Specialisation: The French Experience Between 1960 and 1985
Claude Bismut and Joaquim Oliveira-Martins (CEPII, Paris) Market Shares, Price Competitiveness and Product Differentiation
Lars Sorgard (NSEBA) Import Penetration, Producer Behaviour and Profit Shifting in the Norwegian Market for Cement
Didier Laussel (Université d'Aix-Marseille II) and Christian Montet (Université de Montpellier I) On the Hierarchy of Trade and Industrial Policies for Oligopolistic Industries

During the workshop there were also discussions of research priorities in international trade, including issues of particular interest in the context of the European Community's `1992' programme. Discussion of the external trade policy aspects of 1992 ranged over issues such as the effects of internal liberalization on external trade, the reconciliation of `reciprocity' with mutual recognition of national standards within the EC, the removal of national barriers to trade, relations with Japan and the United States, with Turkey and with EFTA