According to a new EU report, European exporters encountered a 10% increase in the number of trade barriers in 2016 alone.
The EU’s press release for the study notes:
“The Trade and Investment Barriers Reports are published annually since the beginning of the 2008 economic crisis. This year’s edition is fully based on concrete complaints received by the Commission from European companies. They concern a wide range of products covering everything from agrifood to shipbuilding industries.
G20 members figure prominently among countries having created the highest number of import obstacles. Russia, Brazil, China and India top the list. Most of the new protectionist measures reported in 2016 appeared also in Russia and India, followed by Switzerland, China, Algeria and Egypt.”
According to the report, the United States had only 16 barriers registered against it, compared to 33 for Russia, and Brazil, China and India with 23. Given recent threats by the United States to take protectionist measures on steel, however, there is a good chance next year’s report will look substantially different.