On this page you find the latest reports from the National Board of Trade:
Business Reality and Trade Policy – Closing the Gap
In a new report by the National Board of Trade, global value chains are analyzed in relation to trade policy. We note, for example, that global value chains have made EU rules of origin increasingly out of touch with the world in which businesses operate. The EU also continues to charge import duties on goods that serve as inputs to the EU's own industry. With such a trade policy the EU shoots itself in the foot by increasing costs and reducing the competitiveness of European manufacturers.
Dumping or Competition?
The paper identifies that “dumping” according to the WTO definition is taking place within the EU, and that this intra-EU “dumping” is considered as a case of nor¬mal competition, as no remedies are taken. It is claimed that the EU anti-dumping regulation must be revised with regard to several aspects if the objective is to establish efficient competition. In the absence of a reformed anti-dumping regulation, the anti-dumping measures will only contribute to unfair competition where the EU industry will be protected to the detriment of the European consumers. The full version of the paper is available in the report Paving the Way for Unfair Competition: The Imposition of Anti-Dumping Duties on Ceramic Tiles from China.
Antidumping or Unjustified Protection?
The paper analyzes the imposition of EU anti-dumping duties on imports of ceramic tiles from China from a critical perspective. It is claimed that the antidumping measures on ceramic tiles from China are inappropriate. It is not an obvious case of dumping, it is not an obvious case of injury, and the injury that is claimed is most likely not caused by the alleged “dumping”. Accordingly, it is difficult to identify causality. In addition, it is difficult to argue that it would be in the EU interest to impose the antidumping measures.The full version of the paper is available in the report Paving the Way for Unfair Competition: The Imposition of Anti-Dumping Duties on Ceramic Tiles from China.
Paving the Way for Unfair Competition: The Imposition of EU Anti-Dumping Duties on Ceramic Tiles from China
The report analyzes the imposition of EU anti-dumping duties on imports of ceramic tiles from China from a critical perspective. The analysis argues that the EU anti-dumping regulation must be revised with regard to several aspects if the objective is to establish efficient competition. In the absence of a reformed anti-dumping regulation, the anti-dumping measures will only contribute to unfair competition where the EU industry will be protected to the detriment of the European consumers. The report is also available in the shorter versions Anti-Dumping or Unjustified Protection? and Dumping or Competition?
Cross-border Public Procurement: An EU Perspective
The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current state of the regulatory and economic development in cross-border procurement. The nature of cross-border procurement is illustrated with two examples from public services: the first from a hospital and the second from an underground system. For this purpose, the first section elaborates on the concept of cross-border procurement, outlines the international disciplines on public procurement and studies some of the existing literature on the economic significance of cross-border procurement. The second section contains our two case studies.
2011:2 Survey of e-commerce barriers within the EU
According to the Eurobarometer, 33% of consumers purchase products online within the EU, but only 7% do this across borders. There are several reasons for this level of fragmentation in the market, such as a low level of confidence in the Internet, a low level of broadband provision, deficient interoperability, cultural differences (with regard to language, payment methods, customer behaviour patterns) and barriers of a legal nature. In this report, the Board has focused on the last category. We highlight examples that demonstrate the legal barriers that companies face when they wish to expand their operations into other EU countries.
What are the Barriers to Sweden's Foreign Trade? An Analysis of an Interview Survey of Swedish Companies
On behalf of the National Board of Trade, Statistics Sweden has interviewed a representative selection of Swedish companies. These interviews were conducted in order to survey the problems that companies in various industries and size ranges encounter in their trade with other EU countries and countries outside the EU, including the companies’ own views of which markets and subject areas should be emphasised in future negotiations. The survey also charts the companies’ use of, and ambitions for, direct measures to promote trade. In this report, we will present the summary and analysis of the responses to different parts of the company survey.
Securing High Investment Protection for EU Investors: A Review of EU Member States’ Model BITs
The purpose of bilateral investment agreements (BITs) is to protect and promote investments by creating a stable and predictable legal investment environment. Stable and predictable conditions are key to investment decisions. Thus, the future of European BITs is central to companies investing abroad. In this report, the National Board of Trade discusses what elements, in EU member states’ model BITs, define a high or a low level of investment protection. These levels are also compared with the protection offered in BITs in general.
2010:6 Made in Sweden? A new perspective on the relationship between Sweden’s exports and imports
A large part of Swedish exports actually consists of imported goods and services. Swedish exports is therefore “less Swedish” than one might think. The study provides figures for the import content of Swedish exports and discuss this phenomena from several angles, including where the input goods originate from and to what extent tariffs complicates modern supply chains. It also claims that services constitute a larger share of exports than normally thought and discusses how much value Sweden actually captures from its exports.
2010:5 Practical Aspects of Border Carbon Adjustment Measures: Using a Trade Facilitation Perspective to Assess Trade Costs
Border carbon adjustment (BCA) measures are being discussed as a response to concerns regarding carbon leakage and competitiveness in a number of OECD countries, although no country has implemented these types of BCA measures yet. This analysis aims to complement the studies done on legal and economic issues with a discussion on the practical challenges and costs relating to the different ways a BCA could be constructed. The objective is to shed light on the costs a BCA could bring to the private and public sector in the exporting and importing country.
2010:4 e-invoicing in Cross-border Trade
The transition from paper invoices to e-invoices is an example of how new technology can improve and rationalise previous manual and lengthy procedures. The purpose of the study is to give a description of precisely what the primary barriers are to increased cross-border use of e-invoices. An increased use of e-invoices should facilitate international trade and simplify a process that currently requires many manual and repetitive actions.
2010:3 Mutual recognition of AEO programmes: Supply chain security and trade facilitation – progress report fall 2010
Coordination of the programmes for Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) has been initiated but it is a slow process is. This is a good summary of the Swedish National Board of Trade study entitled:” Mutual recognition of AEO programmes Supply chain security and trade facilitation– progress report fall 2010”. The study is a follow-up of previous reports on the subject of supply chain security.
2010:2 At Your Service: The Importance of Services for Manufacturing Companies and Possible Trade Policy Implications
This paper starts by briefly discussing the increased importance of services before the case study of Sandvik Tooling and its level of “servicification”. Secondly, the paper discusses the possible effects of restrictions on services and how trade policy measures can help companies. Finally, we draw some conclusions from a trade policy perspective.
2010:1 Servicification of Swedish Manufacturing
The rise in the economic importance of services and services trade needs to be better understood as well as implications for trade policy. Therefore, we analyse the increasing inter-linkage between goods and services, both in production and trade. We find that Swedish manufacturing has been servicified.