This event is part of a seminar series of virtual presentations of papers addressing various aspects of trade policy, organised in the framework of the Observatori de Política Exterior Europea (European Foreign Policy Observatory). The Research on Trade Policy series will consist of weekly presentations on Friday afternoon, 14:00 CEST. Each hour-long session will mimic a conference or workshop panel, followed by comments from a designated discussant. Thereafter we turn to questions from attendees.

Learn more about the Webinar Series: Research on Trade Policy

The resilience of the neoliberal free trade paradigm in the post-COVID-19 era should not be underestimated, at least in the short term. The EU’s trade policy response has so far been compliant with free trade philosophy and this has not faced serious challenges yet.

Ostensibly protectionist measures are explicitly framed as temporary and exceptional and have been accompanied by liberalising proposals. In the medium and long term, paradigm change may happen. However, the authors warn that such shifts may not be as romantic as envisaged by deglobalisation advocates, because also securitisation looms as a realistic and dangerous alternative.

While both deglobalisation and securitisation involve less trade, their political underpinnings are radically different.

Jan Orbie is the Director of the Centre for EU Studies. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at Ghent University in Belgium, where he lectures several courses in the Master for EU Studies at Ghent University, including Theories of European Integration, European External Policies, and EU Trade Politics. His research focuses on the international policies of the EU, in particular EU trade and development policies. He is the author of numerous chapters, articles and edited books on EU trade politics and development, the EU’s global social policy, and EU democracy promotion. He is also supervising several research projects in the field of EU external relations. Prof. Jan Orbie is Erasmus coordinator of the Department of Political Science, and a member of the Research Council of Ghent University.

Ferdi De Ville is Assistant Professor at the Centre for EU Studies. He received a master degree (2007) and a doctoral degree (2011) in political science at Ghent University. In his dissertation he analysed the relationship between the international trade regime and European social, environmental and consumer protection. Ferdi has also done policy advisory research on European trade policy for the Flemish government.