On this page you find the latest reports from the National Board of Trade:

2009:6 Open Trade or Protectionism? Developments in trade policy since 1995
The WTO and the OECD are predicting the greatest downturn in international trade since the Second World War. The economic crisis has intensified the debate on protectionism in trade and there are worries that protectionist measures will hurt the world trading system. However, worries about protectionism existed even before the current economic crisis. It is against this background that the National Board of Trade studied developments in trade policy during the period from 1995 to 2007. Trade policy instruments were analyzed in order to determine whether trade has become more open, or has gone in the opposite direction.

Deals on Wheels - This study fills two primary functions: to serve as a stock-taking exercise of international harmonisation of vehicle regulations and to analyse the effectiveness of the current system.

Climate measures and trade - Legal and economic aspects of border carbon adjustment
Border carbon adjustment has been frequently discussed in a number of political and legislative fora in both the US and the EU. Three arguments are usually referred to for motivating border carbon adjustment: to level the playing field, to avoid carbon leakage and to create incentives for major emitters to take on commitments in the negotiations over a post-2012 climate regime.

This study focuses on the legal and economic aspects of a border carbon tax or a carbon regulation requiring participation in a domestic cap-and-trade system, referring to both as border carbon adjustment. It examines what literature has to say about the legal implications and looks into the arguments given for introducing border carbon adjustments. If border carbon adjustment measures are introduced, it seems unlikely that they will improve the chances of reaching a global climate deal. However, the measures may address some concerns related to carbon leakage and competitiveness.

The legal compatibility of border carbon adjustment with WTO rules is uncertain and, if introduced, it is likely that a dispute panel will decide about the legality.

The design of border carbon adjustment will be an important factor both in regard to effectiveness and legality. A border carbon adjustment scheme would be extremely complex to administer.

The relationship between international trade and foreign direct investments for Swedish multinational enterprises
Swedish multinational companies are increasing their export and at the same time their subsidiaries are experiencing a growth in sales abroad. In addition, the subsidiaries’ sales of goods and services to foreign markets are increasing considerably more than the Swedish export. Concurrently with the growth of the world economy, Swedish companies are thus choosing to a greater extent to invest in and sell through their subsidiaries instead of exporting from Sweden.

This is shown by an investigation carried out by the National Board of Trade. The result is presented in the Board report, which analyses the connection between export from Sweden and the Swedish multinationals’ foreign direct investment.


Anti-dumping complaints on certain steel products – the impact on user groups
Anti-dumping duties on steel negatively impact users’ competitiveness The National Board of Trade has made a study of what impact anti-dumping duties on galvanised steel would have on user industries – particularly the automotive, construction and home appliance sectors. The study’s conclusions are based on, among others, the results of a survey among seven Swedish users of galvanised steel. The background to the report is an anti-dumping complaint on imports of galvanised steel from China that was submitted to the European Commission in October 2007 by the European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries (Eurofer).


Supply Chain Security Initiatives: A Trade Facilitation Perspective
Since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the number of initiatives that have the aim of strengthening security in the international supply chain has increased rapidly. In this report the national Board of Trade provides an overview of existing major security initiatives and presents a comparison between the rules applied by the USA and the EU in their respective Customs-Trade partnerships and rules on advance information.

In the report a brief summary is also provided of recent studies on the economic impact of the development of security initiatives and an analysis is presented of ways in which costs are distributed.

The WTO Decision on Compulsory Licensing - Does it enable import of medicines for developing countries with grave public health problems?

Adding value to the European economy – How anti-dumping can damage the supply chains of globalised European companies. Five case studies from the shoe industry.