Brussels, 22/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - The think tank, the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), this week published two working papers to support the work of the Transatlantic Task Force, set up in mid-May by ECIPE and the German Marshall Fund with a view to fostering greater leadership on trade policy in Europe and the United States. On one hand, a survey, carried out by researcher Bruce Stokes, shows that the public remains hesitant or negative to more trade with fast-rising countries in the east, such as China, and that there is solid public support on both sides of the Atlantic for deeper commercial ties between Europe and the US, including the removal of barriers to trade and investment. Furthermore, a survey carried out by researcher Guy de Jonquières shows that the systemic malaise from which the Doha Development Round and the WTO suffer can largely be explained by changes in the global economic structure, where the rise of important new economic players has eroded US and European dominance, and where no one is prepared to lead the multilateral system currently in disequilibrium. Three possible future scenarios are discussed. Firstly, an “unpredictable mode of muddling through” as a means to managing international economic relations, that of greater international responsibilities assumed by China and also possibly India, and that of increased cooperation between the United States and China. The survey, however, concludes that the EU and the United States need to rethink their policy approaches to trade liberalisation. Both working documents are available on the ECIPE website: http://www.ecipe.org .
The Transatlantic Task Force is made up of 12 researchers and academics, representatives of the business world and of civil society, and policy makers. Co-Chaired by the Swedish minister for trade, Ewa Björling, and the former US Congressman, Jim Kolbe, it will be meeting several times to produce an analysis report and recommendations by end 2011. (E.H./transl.jl)