EU trade policy in the twenty-first century: change, continuity and challenges

Abstract

This is the introduction to a special collection of contributions that analyse key features of the European Union’s (EU) trade policy in the twenty-first century, notably its politicization. As such, it examines the degree to which EU trade policy and its environment have changed over the last 20 years. More specifically, it begins with a brief review of the main changes to the structure of international trade and the resulting impacts on trade agreements. Second, it describes the institutional changes (notably the Lisbon Treaty) that have affected the EU’s trade policy-making. Third, it discusses how the above-mentioned changes have affected the EU’s trade policy. Finally, it summarizes the special collection’s key contributions to our improved understanding of EU trade policy in the twenty-first century as well as pinpoints new issues that scholars of EU trade policy should pay close attention to in their future research agendas.