'The end of the free market and free trade in Europe?'

The recent imposition of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by the EU, which won the support of member states including Ireland, is just one illustration of how the potential downsides of free trade have been given greater prioritisation in Europe in recent years. The appointment of a European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security for the first time underscores a fundamental rethinking of core EU competences such as competition policy, state aids, and trade. Elvire Fabry, Martin Sandbu, and Sander Tordoir will discuss the origins of this rethink and how it will shape future policy outcomes in the EU.

Elvire Fabry is Senior Research Fellow at the Jacques Delors Institute, in charge of the geopolitics of trade and rapporteur of the working group on EU-China relations. Her areas of expertise include EU bilateral trade negotiations, EU-US relations, EU-China relations, investment, global governance, WTO reform, Brexit, and perceptions of globalisation.

Martin Sandbu is the European Economics Commentator at the Financial Times where he writes on a range of international affairs issues drawing insight from the intersection of economics, politics, and ethics. He is the also the author of a number of books, including The Economics of Belonging: A Radical Plan to Win Back the Left-Behind and Achieve Prosperity for All. Before joining the Financial Times, he worked in policy consulting and academia, including at Harvard, Columbia, and the Wharton School.

Sander Tordoir is Chief Economist at the Centre for European Reform where he works on eurozone monetary and fiscal policy and the institutional architecture of EMU and European integration. Prior to joining the CER, he worked at the ECB in Frankfurt, as advisor to the ECB Representative at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC and at the German Federal Finance Ministry.