Protectionism? "No thanks, we will not fall into the spiral", declared the heads of state and government at the beginning of the crisis. Yet, it seems, things turned out differently. This is denounced by the tenth report on trade policy of the European Commission.
Brussels points out that 150 measures aimed at restricting trade have been introduced, while only 18 have been cancelled. Since 2008, around 700 protectionist rules have been implemented, which are still in force. An observation not very different from that of the former director general of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy, who declared last July: "the restrictions on trade continue to be adopted and are constantly increasing". European Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht called the situation "worrying".
The Commission noted that states such as Brazil, Argentina, Russia and Ukraine have decided to protect the internal market by penalizing imports. Brazil, Argentina and India have also adopted measures forcing the use of domestic goods, particularly in the procurement sector.
According to the report, Buenos Aires is the true champion of protectionism, with around 150 regulations. Russia, Indonesia and Brazil follow suit. For the record: China has only adopted 36 limitations.