Passaparola – European International Commerce

The European Commission’s recent report on the implementation and application of EU trade policy highlights the significant role of trade agreements in fostering economic growth and market access for European companies. At the end of 2023, the EU had 42 preferential trade agreements in force with 74 partners, accounting for 45.8% of the EU’s total external trade. The report highlights the success of the four most advanced trade agreements with South Korea, Canada, Japan and Vietnam in boosting EU exports, particularly in key sectors such as vehicles, aircraft, electrical machinery and pharmaceuticals. For example, EU exports of goods increased on average by 127% from 2010 to 2023 to South Korea and by 64% from 2016 to 2023 to Canada.

In terms of market access, the EU has made significant progress in removing barriers in partner countries. In 2023, 41 market access barriers were partially or fully removed in 28 countries. These efforts cover for example sanitary and phytosanitary issues, such as regionalisation in Japan and South Korea, or high-tech sectors relevant for the green transition, as well as other types of more traditional barriers, such as Argentina’s non-automatic licensing system, or Colombia’s burdens for risk assessments on EU animal and plant products.

The Commission continued to focus on the implementation of Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) provisions that were included in 12 of its trade agreements in force in 2023 with 18 partner countries. Regular engagement in the institutional TSD committees led to tangible progress, such as the ratification of multilateral conventions by partner countries and the strengthening of cooperation with civil society on the respect of labour and environmental standards.

Finally, the report reiterates the importance of trade agreements to open up markets for the 680,000 exporting SMEs, the main drivers of international trade, and facilitate their access to global markets. In particular, SMEs benefit from dedicated tools, first and foremost the Access2Markets platform, designed to help them navigate the complexities of international trade. For example, thanks to ROSA, the rules of origin self-assessment tool, businesses can check the tariff advantages provided by the various trade agreements, with around 14,000 assessments carried out each month. In 2023, over 11,000 SMEs were trained to use this platform, enabling them to exploit the growth opportunities offered by the EU’s vast trade network while maintaining their competitiveness.

alessandra.laterza@unioncamere-europa.eu