Protection in the European Community Before and After 1992

Abstract

The central issues addressed in this chapter are the following: Is protection in the European Community increasing? How will third- country trade be affected by the EC’s Single Market programme? The first part of the paper reviews developments in EC tariffs and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and considers whether the recent economic recovery in Europe is leading to a reversal of protection trends. In the second part, the effects of removing NTBs are analysed, the Single Market programme is outlined and the trade consequences of its introduction in 1992 for non-member countries discussed. Some possible implications for US transatlantic trade are then noted, and finally it is suggested that whether or not there is a movement in the direction of a ‘Fortress Europe’ after 1992 depends in particular on the scale and distribution of job losses in the Single Market and the evolution of trade policies in other countries, especially the US.KeywordsTrade PolicyPublic ProcurementCustom UnionTrade DiversionTrade CreationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.