The EU has developed its external trade policy within a global economic order characterized by multilateralism, the geopolitical predominance of the West, and the promise that free trade, economic liberalisation, and market integration would lead to increasing living standards for all. However, these premises are increasingly challenged. Policy makers and governance actors in the EU have acknowledged these challenges which demand a rethinking of the strategies and instruments employed to pursue it. Against this background, this project analyses the current challenges to the EU’s external trade relations and explores new institutional pathways and policy innovations for Europe as a global actor. The research looks into how Europe uses its external trade relations to pursue its interests and project its values in a changing global economic order.
 
The interdisciplinary work will be organised in three work packages covering
-        the governance and enforcement of trade rules in a weakened multilateral trade system;
-       the EU’s trade strategy in the Global South;
-       European innovations in transnational trade governance.

By combining the study of multilateral, interregional, and transnational dimensions, the project provides a rich window into the challenges and opportunities for Europe’s external trade relations in a changing world economy.

Project leaders:
Pola Cebulak (Department of European Studies),
Sebastian Krapohl (Department of Political Science)
Philip Schleifer (Department of Political Science)
Geraldo Vidigal (International Trade Law, Amsterdam Law School)
Maria Weimer (European Law, Amsterdam Law School)