Blog post 245
Greening EU trade policy – 2 :
the economics of trade and environment
This note is the second in a series of publications that the Jacques Delors Institute has undertaken with the support of the European Climate Foundation in order to explore the inevitable changes in EU trade policy following the European elections last May. Inevitably, trade policy in the upcoming years and beyond will have to find its place in Europe’s new “green deal”, which was recently announced by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the new European Commission.
The results of the special Eurobarometer survey on Europeans’ attitudes on trade and EU trade policy published in November (2019) also confirm the relevance of this research nexus. In the study, citizens attribute the protection of European environmental and health standards as the second highest priority in trade policy.
The first note was intended to lay out a general overview of the problems to be solved and the possible solutions available. In comparison, this note seeks to better describe the theses put forward by various schools of economics on the effects, more or less positive or negative, of the opening up of trade on the environment, mainly from a climate mitigation point of view.
It concludes that international trade, whose impact is still being debated, is not likely the essential variable for the necessary decarbonisation of the European economy, even if trade policy must make a contribution to this major undertaking.
The preservation of our natural resources, as well as the fight against inequalities will require a real paradigm shift and far-reaching reforms aimed at our modes of production and consumption. Trade must accompany, facilitate and accelerate this change. Other upcoming publications in this series will address the ways and means of this necessary trade policy contribution: ambitious standards and their application to imported products and/or carbon adjustments at the border, reforms of the WTO’s multilateral framework, new-generation bilateral trade treaties, etc.
SUR LE MÊME THÈME
ON THE SAME THEME
PUBLICATIONS
The EU’s Art of the Deal: Shaping a unified response to Trump’s tariff threats

Harris vs. Trump on Trade Policy: The Good, the Bad, or Just Ugly?

EU and China between De-Risking and Cooperation: Scenarios by 2035

MÉDIAS
MEDIAS
L’actualité littéraire – Souveraineté et solidarité, un défi européen

L’OMC, paralysée, joue son avenir à Genève

N.Gnesotto – “Quel impact de l’affaire des sous-marins australiens ?”

ÉVÉNEMENTS
EVENTS
Euroquestions | The Pact on Migration and Asylum, what about a reform never completed? [FR]

Euroquestions | EU-China relations: rivals, competitors, partners? [FR]

Euroquestions 57 | Reforming the Stability and Growth Pact. Key challenges and opportunities for a revamped European fiscal framework

Euroquestions | Which European response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)?

Académie Notre Europe – Europe in the world session

Conference on the Future of Europe – Climate Change, Environment/Health

Académie Notre Europe – L’Europe Commerciale et de la Défense

What place for responsible capitalism in Europe? (FR)

Table Ronde : “La politique européenne de l’énergie à l’heure du changement climatique”

WEBINAR | What do we need a World Trade Organization for?

WEBINAR | A European Border Carbon Adjustment proposal

Webinar | Greener After – A Green Recovery Stimulus for a post-COVID-19 Europe

WEBINAR | Overcoming Covid-19 crises by building a clean and resilient Europe

Greening the EU trade policy

Rupture or Reorder?

Annulé : L’urgence climatique, un défi aussi pour les villes d’Europe

La Pacte Vert européen, mode d’emploi

AmCham Confidential

Energy Innovation : how to deliver on the European green deal

Paris, 5 November 2019 – How to finance Energy Innovation in Europe in order to reach Climate neutrality by 2050?

Brussels, 16th October 2019 – Three solutions to finance the Green Deal

Brussels, 15 October 2019 – Europe: Post Elections Challenges

Brussels, 27 June 2019 – Women Rule Summit 2019

Wavre, 16 May 2019 – The most important European elections of the history?

Paris, 16 mai 2019 — ParisMat

Tunis, 3 may 2019 — Tunisia’s challenges and responses to threats to multilateralism

Paris, 16 April 2019 — European elections: assessment and proposals of the candidates for the climate

Madrid, 10 April 2019 – European Think Thank Summit

Monaco, 25th of March – Monaco Blue Initiative : Ocean updates

Brussels, 19th March – High-level conference: Oceans the future of the Blue Planet

Paris, 19 February 2019 – If the climate was a bank, we would have saved it already. What are we waiting for?

Paris, 10 January 2019 – The EU and the new silk roads

Katowice, 13 December 2018 – COP24: Yes Europe !

Paris, 4 December 2018 – Ecological transition and the European Union: what are the levers for the emergency?

3 December 2018 – Is Brexit Reversible?

Brussels, 27 November 2018 – EU Trade Policy Day

Bordeaux, 23 November 2018 – EU trade policy: can we control globalization?

Hamburg, 16 November 2018 – FOTAR 2018 : Transatlantic Environmental Policy

Madeira, 19 October 2018 – The EU long-term energy-climate strategy

Brussels, 16 October 2018 – EU trade policy in 2019 and beyond

Paris, 15 October 2018 – Will the EU become a world power?

Paris, 10 October 2018 – What is Europe for? Myths and realities

Paris, 9 October 2018 – Eurociné, “The environment and us: a balance in danger”

Paris, 3 October 2018 – Beyond Trade Wars: From Free Trade to Fair Trade

Paris, 28 September 2018 – Autumn School of the European Trade Union Confederation

Paris, 21 September 2018 – Trump, Brexit and the new challenges of European trade policy: is the European response adapted?

Paris, 12 September 2018 – Presentation of the book “L’économie mondiale 2019” of the CEPII

Paris, 7 September 2018 – Model European Union Paris

Brussels, 28 June 2018 – Globalisation and Europeanisation: European solutions for global problems?

Brussels, 22 June 2018 – The multipolar world order, the EU and the multilateral system

Clichy, 19 June 2018 – How to make Europe the world economic leader?

Paris, 12 June 2018 – Eurociné : “Land of Oblivion”

Paris, 11 June 2018 – Round table on Brexit

Brussels, 8 June 2018 – EU Trade policy in a multilateral trading system under threat

Strovolos, 1 June 2018 – Annual Lecture in Economics: Harnessing Globalisation

Paris, 1st June 2018 – European Trade Policy

Berlin, 28 May 2018 – Global Solutions Summit

Paris, 25 May 2018 – Notre Europe Academy: A Green and Citizen Europe

Paris, 16 May 2018 – Global Markets

Paris, 24 April 2018 – Trump, Brexit: Globalisation in crisis?

Brussels, 24 April 2018 – Geo-politics and the need for transition to cleaner energy

Paris, 12 April 2018 – France and Europe in globalisation

Beijing, 11 April 2018 – The new Reform Agenda : Government vs. the Market

Beijing, 11 April 2018 – Reform of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)

Paris, 4 April 2018 – Brexit : last months of negotiation

Beijing, 26 March 2018 – Will the World Fight a Trade War?

Beijing, 25 March 2018 – Pursuing Opening-up on All Fronts

Beijing, 24 March 2018 – A New Agenda for the World Economy

Barcelona, 16 March 2018 – Global commitments on climate change

Paris, 15 March 2018 – A year before Brexit: What to do? How to do it?

Brussels, 1st March 2018 – Citizen Participation in the Energy Transition

Brussels, 23 February 2018 – CEPS Idea Lab

Geneva, 19 February 2018 – Trade: Headwinds or Maelstrom?

Paris, 15 February 2018 – Green Controversy

The Hague, 25 January 2018 – Managing Globalisation – EU Trade Policy in the Trump Era

London, 18 January 2018 – Launch of the Trade Knowledge Exchange

Brussels, 30 November 2017 – The Future of EU Trade Policy

Paris, 29 November 2017 – The new Political Economy of the European trade policy

Paris, 22 November 2017 – Between free-trade and a protectionist temptation

Le Chesnay, 20 May 2017 – Trump and the future of the European trade policy

Brussels, 24 January 2017 – The Future of the Trade

Paris, 14 December 2016 – What future for international trade?

Beijing, 2 Decembre 2016 – The Challenges of World Trade

Brussels, 6 September 2016 – New generation of free trade agreements: the challenges for the future?

Alpbach, 29 August 2016 – Boosting Trade and Protecting the Earth: A Catch 22 for the 21st Century?

Paris, 5th July 2016 – Will TTIP and CETA help SMEs to get into the US and Canadian Markets?

Paris, 14 June 2016 – TTIP: a dangerous project or a partnership for the future?

London, 7 June 2016 – 2016 and the politics of trade and globalisation

Paris, 19 April 2016 – Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – TTIP : Myths and Realities

Sofia, 22 March 2016 – How can businesses adapt to the European energy and climate policy?

Brussels, 25 February 2016 – TTIP: Where do we stand now?

Toulouse, 27 janvier 2016 – Le TTIP : Craintes et opportunités
