Sanitary and phytosanitary restrictions, increases in customs tariffs, imposition of quotas, strengthening of administrative procedures local content requirement… In its annual report on obstacles to trade and investment published this week, the European Commission lists 43 new restrictive measures taken in 2019 from 22 countries. This tenth edition confirms the rise of economic nationalism, which risks further strengthening with the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis. The World Trade Organization (WTO) predicts a 13% drop in trade in goods this year. Irish Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan (also a candidate for the WTO leadership) is concerned in the foreword of a "structural change" , a"Protectionism rooted in our trade relations" .
Also: What is the WTO, by the way?
At the end of 2019, Brussels recorded 438 restrictive measures taken worldwide, a level never reached. China is the economy
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