Trade liberalisation and standardisation : new directions in the 'low politics' of EU foreign policy

Abstract

The present Working Paper collects the contributions presented at a conference co-organised by the European University Institute (EUI) and the Centre for the Law of EU External Relations (CLEER) in June 2012. The conference brought together leading academics and practitioners to explore whether and to what extent trade liberalisation and harmonisation can be regarded as successful ‘low-politics’ areas in EU foreign policy and what the challenges are that the EU is and will be facing in these areas. The papers look at current developments in the EU’s trade policy from three perspectives: (i) the legal and policy objectives that the EU applies in its preferential trade arrangements, with particular attention to interregional approaches, the linking of trade to development and conciliation with multilateral efforts in market liberalisation; (ii) the role of and applied practices in the Union’s efforts to promote standardisation within the WTO and with regard some particularly important trade partners, such as the US and China; and (iii) challenges and EU strategies for reconciliatory efforts in investment policy within the context of trade.