The European Union is the world’s largest and deepest free trade zone. Amongst its members, it has abolished tariffs and lowered non-tariff barriers. This has led to trade creation within Europe and to trade diversion between EU countries and outsiders. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment...

Do the U.S. have a current account surplus or a deficit with the EU? Since 2009, official sources disagree: The U.S. Department of Commerce claims a consistent U.S. surplus while Eurostat reports the opposite. International transactions are notoriously difficult to measure accurately, but the...

Do the U.S. have a current account surplus or a deficit with the EU? Since 2009, official sources disagree: The U.S. Department of Commerce claims a consistent U.S. surplus while Eurostat reports the opposite. International transactions are notoriously difficult to measure accurately, but the...

The growth of digital trade is dependant upon greater interconnectivity across borders. Several countries strive to achieve such interconnectivity and integration in digital trade through international trade agreements. Digital trade integration is a complex, multidimensional process that...

The authors analyze the economic consequences of the Economic and Trade Agreement (ETA) between China and the USA, also referred to as the Phase-I Deal, which was signed on January 15, 2020. It is a highly asymmetric treaty which commits China to open its markets and to purchase large quantities...

On 9 december 2016, the upper house of Japan's parliament approved the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pushed for the TPP's ratification despite US President Trump's decision to pull out the deal, insisting it would send a signal about Japan's continuing support to...

The negotiations between Japan and the EU over a free trade agreement are taking place during times in which global economic integration is increasingly questioned. With TTIP on hold and TTP no longer pursued by the US, a successful trade deal between two leading economic powers such as Japan...

When two countries conclude a free trade agreement (FTA), they define rules of origin (RoOs) to determine whether a product is eligible for preferential treatment. RoOs exist to avoid that exports from third countries enter the FTA through the member with the lowest tariff (trade deflection)....