Report on trade and investment barriers 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2018

Summary:

Report presented on 17 June 2019 by the European Commission identifying the barriers encountered by European companies in foreign markets in 2018.

Further information:

This report analyses the new barriers faced by EU business in 2018 as well as those removed for companies in the same year thanks to the EU Market Access Partnership, which brings together the Commission, Member States and European businesses. This Partnership is driven by and for stakeholders. It identifies barriers that EU firms face in third countries, defines a common strategy to remove them – and follows this strategy through.

The report confirms the continuous rise in barriers encountered by European companies in foreign markets. Thanks to the EU's firm response, 123 such barriers have been eliminated since the beginning of the current Commission mandate, allowing for more than €6 billion extra exports in 2018.

Background:

Enforcement of international trade rules has been identified as a top priority in the Commission's Trade for All strategy of 2015. Removing trade barriers is a key Commission task along with a stronger focus on the implementation of the EU's trade agreements. The EU's enhanced Market Access Partnership aims to ensure that companies can compete on a level playing field when seeking export and investment opportunities in countries outside Europe.

The Commission's Report on Trade and Investment Barriers has been published annually since the beginning of the 2008 economic crisis, and is entirely based on trade and investment barriers on foreign markets, reported by European companies.

Official

European Commission: Press Release, 17/06/2019: Barriers to trade: as protectionism rises, EU continues opening up export markets for European firms http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-2994_en.htm

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