23/10/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 23 October, the European Council gave final approval to the ‘anti-coercion’ tool, which will enable the EU to impose countermeasures on a third country that exercises economic coercion over the Union or one of its Member States (see EUROPE 13195/1). The regulation is primarily intended to act as a deterrent, but it also allows the EU to adopt countermeasures, such as imposing trade restrictions, exclusion from European programmes or restrictions on access to EU public procurement contracts. The adoption of the text and its entry into force mark a milestone in the EU’s new, more defensive trade policy. The regulation is due to be signed on 22 November and will come into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. To see the legislative text, go to https://aeur.eu/f/97n (IS)