Tiedemann, Anne. (2009) EU Market Access Teams: New Instruments to Tackle Non-tariff Barriers to Trade. College of Europe EU Diplomacy Paper 2009/9, December 2009. [Working Paper]
Abstract
In reaction to modern protectionism, the European Union has reshaped its trade policy based on the principles of partnership and prioritisation. With the Market Access Partnership it has formalised a new diplomatic trade tool in third countries: the Market Access Teams. These teams are networks with multiple stakeholders and they are acting in a decentralised manner in the respective host countries. The various Market Access Teams created worldwide since 2007 underline the growing interest from the EU, Member States and businesses in offensive trade policy instruments. These instruments should be directed at opening foreign markets and eliminating obstacles to trade for European exporters. This paper analyses under what conditions Market Access Teams can effectively remove non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) for European exports in third countries. It focuses on non-tariff barriers for the European pharmaceutical industry in three Asian countries (Philippines, Indonesia and Japan). Pharmaceutical products are truly global products which are easy to transport and confronted by global competition and they heavily rely on European intellectual property rights knowledge. I argue that Market Access Teams in their composition and function are an adequate translation of the Commission’s strategic ambition to deliver more tangible results for European exporters through offensive trade policy. A Market Access Team is likely to be more successful, the greater the cohesiveness of its members, the more salient a non-tariff barrier to trade for the European Commission and the less salient that NTB in the host country. The study draws on trade literature, news sources, questionnaires and interviews.
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