Global economy and trade policy
Explore recurring issues in Europe’s relationship with its extended neighbourhood, and economic relations with China, India and the rest of the world
Europe’s global economic relationships have been complicated by the adoption of tariffs and subsidies by China and the US, often in contravention of World Trade Organisation rules. On the other hand, the change in UK government may present an opportunity for increased engagement with the UK, including on energy security, defence production and climate policy.
Under the 2025-2026 research programme, Bruegel fellows explore the various economic implications of European rearmament, the development of functioning international carbon markets and the role of emerging and developing economies in reshaping EU economic relations.
Recently published
Understanding US foreign military sales globally since 2008: an analysis of a new dataset
The paper presents a new dataset of all US Foreign Military Sales since 2008 and analyses global trends in volumes and equipment types
What can Europe learn from China’s critical-tech innovation push?
China’s rise in frontier technologies narrows its gap with the US as Europe struggles with slow replication and fragmented research
Russian foreign trade tracker
Tracking Russian trade using data from the EU, China, the US, South Korea, Japan, India, the UK, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway, Brazil and Kazakhstan
Tariffs, deals and multilateral ideals: can the World Trade Organization survive?
The Trump administration’s trade policy accelerates the WTO’s decline and challenges global trade governance
China economic database
Repository of what we consider to be the most relevant macroeconomic data for China and EU-China relations.
European exports in geopolitical storms
With demand from US and China weakening, the EU can boost trade by focusing on other markets and strengthening global partnerships
COVID-19’s economic impact on low-income countries: preparing for the next shock
COVID-19 hit low-income exporters hard, exposing risks from weak diversification and straining trade, supply systems and financial stability
China’s race to electrification
Is China turning into an “electrostate” — and how will that change the balance of global energy?
Climate risks to global supply chains
Extreme weather is disrupting supply chains more often, making risk awareness, mitigation and global policy coordination increasingly vital
Events
Talks@Bruegel: Japan’s economic security with Shihoko Goto
How is Japan strengthening its economic resilience and global leadership amid rising risks from China, the US and shifting geoeconomic realities?
China Horizons: EU policy Takeaways from China’s politics, economy, foreign policy, society and EU-China dynamics
The final conference of the China Horizons research consortium
Talks@Bruegel: Trade, AI, and the future of India’s growth with Franziska Ohnsorge
Can India harness trade and AI to transform its economy?
Podcasts
EU foreign direct investment, explained
How can the EU coordinate national screening procedures in key sectors when outside investors want to buy in?
How can the EU get its act together?
Beyond external threats, persistent fragmentation continues to hinder Europe’s ability to respond
Why European firms are rethinking their presence in China
An empirical analysis of evolving European business strategies in China amid rising economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension
Greening global industry: clean energy, trade and development
How to accelerate European green transition while cooperating with the Global South