Faced with the protectionist threats from the United States or China targeting sectors that play a significant role in the trade of some of its members, the European Union (EU) might be inclined to present a united front due to the strong interconnection of its economies.

On average, the United States and the European Union (EU) apply relatively low tariffs. How do the levels vary by industry group ?

China dominates global trade with 730 products for which it accounts for more than half of global exports in 2023, far more than the EU, the United States, and Japan.

China, in addition to being one of the leading producers of minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, has also become the largest importer, thanks to its massive investments worldwide.

The boom in international trade in healthcare products does not date back to the Covid-19 pandemic but to the great multilateral trade opening of the 2000s. Will the protectionist tensions that have been building since 2022 slow this growth?

The automotive sector plays a central role in Donald Trump's declarations on trade deficits and his threats of protectionist measures against the European Union (EU) as well as Canada and Mexico. With a $270 billion motor vehicle trade deficit in 2023, cars are one of the major items, nearly a quarter of the total, in the US trade deficit after consumer goods.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the challenges associated with import dependency.

The tariff increases announced by Donald Trump before his election would have a serious impact on global trade flows.

The CEPII is looking forward to the new year and the developments it will bring that we hope to be positive. The Government, under whose auspices the CEPII has been operating since 1978, has initiated a thorough review of how to enhance the performance and coordination of the French organisations that conduct economic analysis and policy evaluation.

This year, the major topics of the CEPII's work programme emerge from the current gloomy context: the energy transition, the resilience of value chains, impacts of geopolitical tensions, the macroeconomic situation marked by new budgetary priorities and the tightening of monetary policies.