Publications

In this report, the National Board of Trade analyses how the new trade facilitation agreement affects WTO trade law in the sanitary and phytosanitary field.

In September 2016, the Swedish Government commissioned the National Board of Trade to analyse and provide alternatives for how trade in services between the EU and the UK can be regulated after a UK withdrawal from the EU and its single market. The assignment also includes analysing and providing alternatives for how customs and trade procedures for the trade in goods between the EU and the UK can be designed after a UK withdrawal from the EU.

This is a summary of the full analysis, Brexit – Alternativ till framtida regelverk för handel med tjänster och tull- och handelsprocedurer mellan EU och Storbritannien, by the National Board of Trade. The full analysis is  available only in Swedish.

This case story describes how Swedish authorities worked with a specific case in which a small company experienced difficulties in direct imports of cut flowers from Ethiopia to Sweden. It describes the dialogue between authorities and between authorities and actors from the private sector, and how a mapping exercise was used to facilitate the process for the company.

Trade in plant products means certain risks of introduction and spread of plant pests. Protective measures taken to minimise phytosanitary risks are therefore important. Phytosanitary inspections are conducted within a chain of border activities including customs declaration, handling of fees etc.The complexity of the chain poses challenges to both business operators and authorities.  

The internal market is based on the freedoms of movement of goods, services, persons and capital. These four freedoms were introduced in the Treaty of Rome some 60 years ago, long before the emergence of the digital economy. Today our societies are increasingly dependent on the processing and transfer of data. Almost all transactions involve the movement of data at some point and our economies are relying on a smooth and free flow of data.

The EU Member States do not fully comply with the Single market’s rules and principles and this undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the EU. This creates significant problems for citizens and companies and prevents the Single Market from fully delivering projected benefits. 

The Government has assigned the National Board of Trade to analyse the possible effects of the CETA agreement on the environment, human and animal health and democratic decision-making. 

Servicification means that manufacturing activities and competitiveness increasingly depend on services. Yet, there are still many remaining barriers to the free movement of services within and outside the EU. Is the manufacturing industry’s increasing use of services a possibility to build competitiveness in the EU or a challenge to it?

This information sheet gives a description of how the Transatlantic Standards Approval Scheme (TSAS) could function in reality. The product used in the example is a refrigerator. The information sheet is only available  in English.

Contemporary FTAs increasingly include provisions pertaining to sustainable development. Although these provisions vary in form and scope, a growing number of FTAs contain substantive sustainability commitments, which gives rise to questions about their effective implementation and enforcement. Addressing these questions is the main objective of this paper.

The purpose of the report is to synthesize efforts to monitor protectionism in the 21st century. In doing that, the National Board of Trade analyses the status and character of modern-day protectionism, as well as important trends, including the overarching question of whether protectionism is on the rise or in decline.

In the report, the Board applies a comprehensive view of protectionism, including barriers to trade in goods, trade in services, investment flows, movement of people and data flows. The report is part of a comprehensive effort during 2016 to analyse the nature and effect of current protectionism.