On 23 June, the EU Commissione published the Trade and Investment Barriers Report declaring that 36 more trade barriers were created in 2016. This amounts to an overall increase of 10% bringing the current total number of trade obstacles to 372. The Report recognises that this could affect EU exports that are currently worth around 27 billion Euro. G20 members figure prominently among countries having created the highest number of import obstacles. Thanks to its effective Market Access Strategy, the Commission however succeeded in 2016 to remove as many as 20 different obstacles hindering European exports.As part of the Market Access Strategy, this seventh edition of the Trade and Investment Barriers Report ("TIBR") analyses the trade and investment barriers reported by business and Member States to the Commission through the Market Access Partnership. 

"The success of the EU relies on free and fair trade. We will continue to strongly resist protectionism and pursue a bold agenda of trade negotiations….With protectionist tendencies on the rise over the world, it is more important than ever to pursue an ambitious agenda for a progressive trade policy. Making sure that our agreements are effectively implemented is among our top priorities, and that is why we aim to strengthen our market access partnership even further. Additionally, we will issue a specific report about the implementation of our trade agreements later this year. Meanwhile, we are advancing our bilateral trade negotiations with a number of partners. At the same time, we will continue our efforts to strengthen the rules-based multilateral framework of the World Trade Organisation – ensuring fairness for all. In light of this year's WTO ministerial conference, the EU is working with allies to seek global progress on issues such as fisheries subsidies, domestic support for agriculture, regulatory transparency and facilitation of e-commerce" Foreword by Cecilia Malström EU Commissioner for Trade.  

The Report is available HERE.