EU Trade Policy

1
EU Trade Policy

• Hanson, What Happened to Fortress Europe?

2
Trends in Global Trade

• Globalization vs. regionalization?
• Break-up of the global economy into trading blocs
  (fortresses)?

3
EU Trade Policies

• Single European Act (1992)
• General trade liberalization

4
Explanations for EU Trade Policy Liberalization

• Interest group politics
• sectoral attrition
• sectoral internationalization
• counter-mobilization
• Role of state actors (neoliberal policies)

5
Alternative Explanation

• Erosion of national protectionist policies
• No replacement by EU protectionist policies
• Unintended consequence of EU integration?

6
Main message?

• Crisis of democracy?
• Social democracy still possible?
• For citizens of a small Lithuanian town their
  European future looks a lot like their Soviet
  past!?