Blog | Connections to global markets and supplies are a precondition for trade driven development, investments, and jobs. Here, we analyze how the global shipping network has evolved and the impact on countries position in the network over the last two decades.   Two snapshots of the global liner shipping network: Moving towards more hub-and-spoke connections The data reviewed here describe scheduled container shipping services between pairs of countries, capturing both the presence of a direct connection and the number of shipping...

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Blog | Tariff hikes are putting European companies under strain at a time when productivity growth is already sluggish. Short-term business sentiment is not the only thing at stake. Tariffs could also dampen business dynamism, a key channel for innovation and long-term growth. Business dynamism – the constant churn of firms entering the market, growing, contracting and then exiting – is crucial for productivity. Through “creative destruction”, new firms with better technologies and business models take the place of their...

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  PROTECTING THE U.S. ECONOMY AND NATIONAL INTERESTS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation imposing a temporary import duty to address fundamental international payments problems and continue the Administration’s work to rebalance our trade relationships to benefit American workers, farmers, and manufacturers. President Trump is invoking his authority under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which empowers the President to address certain fundamental international payment problems through surcharges and other special import restrictions. By taking this action,...

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Bernd Lange, chair of Parliament’s International Trade Committee and standing rapporteur for the US, issued the following statement. Following a meeting of the committee’s shadow rapporteurs (i.e. political group representatives), Bernd Lange (S&D, DE) said: “The ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States of 20 February 2026 on the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is clear and unequivocal. Its implications cannot be ignored, and business as usual is not an option. A key instrument used on the US...

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