With mounting pressure from U.S. tariffs and Chinese export restrictions, European officials are finalizing a new economic security framework set for release in early December. This initiative aims to equip policymakers with a comprehensive set of tools to respond swiftly to external economic threats, especially as earlier strategic efforts from 2023 have seen limited advancement.
Maros Sefcovic, the European commissioner for trade and economic security, explained that the doctrine draws from past experiences, highlighting how modern trade instruments can be turned into strategic weapons. He questioned whether current mechanisms like trade defenses and export controls are sufficiently agile or strong in today’s fast-moving environment.
The proposed strategy emphasizes the need for rapid, asymmetric responses when major economies exploit Europe’s structural weaknesses—an occurrence becoming more common. Sefcovic pointed out the imbalance in reaction times, asking if the bloc can afford lengthy evaluations when other global players shift policies overnight.
Despite its anticipated rollout, the doctrine faces criticism from voices concerned that adopting aggressive trade measures might lead to unintended consequences, potentially triggering retaliatory actions or undermining long-term cooperation.
— news from South China Morning Post
— News Original —
As US-China rivalry redefines economic warfare, Europe scrambles for its dictionary
Despite this, under the strain of US tariffs and Chinese export controls, the bloc is preparing to unveil a new “economic security doctrine” in early December, which will provide bureaucrats with a dashboard of all the weapons at its disposal and the levers to pull – even as progress on its 2023 strategy appears to have stalled. n n“It came from lessons of the past mandate. We realised that today everything could be weaponised … look at our tools, trade defence instruments, export controls – are they fast enough? Are they robust enough?” said trade and economic security commissioner Maros Sefcovic on Thursday, describing the doctrine. n nIt will seek to give Brussels powers to move more quickly and asymmetrically when China, the US or any other power weaponises Europe’s vulnerabilities – a trend which is happening with alarming frequency. n n“Do we have a luxury of time to assess a case for more than a year when you see that the other big powers can just change their whole policy overnight?” Sefcovic said. n nBut even before it has been proposed, the doctrine is being challenged by some who believe that going down the weaponised trade route could backfire.