Global economy and trade
Explore recurring issues in Europe’s relationship with its extended neighbourhood, and economic relations with China, India and the rest of the world.
The global economy in continues to be affected by the pandemic. However, it is also marked by major geopolitical developments, from President Biden’s inauguration and a revival of the transatlantic relationship, to the continued rivalry with China, with the EU caught in-between these global trends.
Bruegel’s scholars cover the European Union’s increasing assertiveness towards neighbours over the past year, including the external repercussions of the European Green Deal, managing a crisis at its borders, building a future relationship with a former member, strengthening the international role of the euro and tackling a resurgent China.
Recently published and updated
The Covid–19 Pandemic and China’s Economic Slowdown
Any convergence with the U.S. economy will not continue for long.
China protests add to uncertainty for investors
Demonstrations show how the country is struggling to deal with Covid and an easing of lockdowns.
Does inflation hit the poor hardest everywhere?
Low-income households suffer most from high inflation, but in some European Union countries the inflation burden is felt more equally than others.
Xi Jinping’s new smiles got China off the hook at climate talks
Beijing's bandwidth to deliver is shrinking as its economic performance wanes.
Lessons for Europe from China’s quest for semiconductor self-reliance
This paper explores China's quest to become a domestic-demand-driven economy, and the lessons that can be learnt from its quest for self reliance.
Deglobalisation and Protectionism
This paper presents a data-driven examination of whether deglobalisation has happened and whether protectionism was the cause.
Russian foreign trade tracker
Biden, Xi focus on Taiwan and forget about Ukraine
The meet did not seem to offer solutions to the two most pressing problems for the international order.
Lessons from China’s semiconductor technology push
China’s semiconductors push already has lessons for the rest of the world.
Upcoming events
Global cooperation in times of geopolitical strife
How can we build a sustainable system of international cooperation that allows for nations to work together despite their differences?
Policy brief
12 July 2022
Policy brief
12 July 2022
An analysis of central bank decision-making
Bank of England MPC celebrates 25 years and we use this occasion to compare its decision-making process to that of the ECB
Working paper
29 June 2022
The role of competition in the transition to climate neutrality
The transition to climate neutrality requires the reallocation of production factors from polluting activities to non-polluting activities.
Policy brief
28 June 2022
How can the European Union adapt to climate change?
A stronger adaptation governance framework would benefit adaptation efforts.
Working paper
20 June 2022
Measuring macroeconomic uncertainty during the euro’s lifetime
We draw out four indicators of macroeconomic uncertainty, measured over the lifetime of the euro.
Policy brief
16 June 2022
How to make the EU Energy Platform an effective emergency tool
The platform could become an effective emergency tool to safeguard Europe’s gas supply, but policymakers need to address challenges to make it work.
Policy brief
16 June 2022
COVID-19 and the shift to remote work
Hybrid arrangements in which part of the week is spent at the office, and part at home, are likely to become the norm.
Working paper
13 June 2022
Raising EU productivity through innovation
A better overview of which firms are most likely to adopt digital technologies and to innovate, and to turn these investments into productivity growth
Policy brief
07 June 2022
Policies to support the self-employed in the labour markets of the future
A review of changes in the way we work.
Working paper
31 May 2022
Working paper
11 May 2022
Is the workforce ready for the jobs of the future? Data-informed skills and training foresight
For many newly emerging jobs, labour-market mismatches prevail as workers and firms are unable to apply precise occupation taxonomies and training lag
Policy brief
05 May 2022
Beating burnout: identifying bad jobs and improving job quality
To improve wellbeing at work, job quality policy should pay more attention to imbalances in job content and the social environment at work.
Policy brief
29 April 2022
Fiscal support and monetary vigilance: economic policy implications of the Russia-Ukraine war for the European Union
Policymakers must think coherently about the joint implications of their actions and avoid taking measures that contradict each other.
Working paper
28 April 2022
Cutting Putin’s energy rent: ‘smart sanctioning’ Russian oil and gas
Infrastructure bottlenecks prevent Russia from selling all the oil it wants to bring to market, even at lower prices.
Working paper
25 April 2022
The low productivity of European firms: how can policies enhance the allocation of resources?
Economists take total factor productivity (TFP) as one of the most informative indicators of the state of a country's economy.
Working paper
13 April 2022
Knowledge flows and global value chains
We explore the implications of a range of novel approaches to GVCs for our understanding of how they affect knowledge flow and innovation.