The Trade and Investment Barriers Report (TIBR) released by the European Commission has confirmed the continuous rise in barriers encountered by European companies in foreign markets. The Commission said that, thanks to the EU's firm response, 123 such barriers have been eliminated since late 2014, allowing for more than €6 billion extra exports in 2018.
In 2018, 45 new trade barriers were put in place in countries outside the EU, bringing the total number to a record high of 425 measures in 59 different countries, costing EU businesses billions of euros every year.
China and Russia come to the fore with 37 and 34 problematic trade measures, respectively. The Commission pointed out that most impact for EU exports arises from measures introduced by China, the US, India and Algeria, concerning 80 percent of all EU exports affected by new measures, with the focus predominantly on steel, aluminum and information and communication technology sectors.