EU trade defense: existing tools sufficient, political will lacking (iss.europa.eu)

• Germany loses 10,000 industrial jobs monthly due to external shocks
• EUISS recommends closing activation and discretion gaps in trade defense
• Existing instruments sufficient; reforms focused on speed and flexibility

"The EU already has ample trade defense instruments but fails to deploy them decisively. An EUISS commentary urges procedural reforms: faster safeguards, reverse voting rules, and more discretion. It argues against creating new tools like an 'overcapacity instrument', advocating instead to sharpen existing ones to counter Chinese subsidized exports and US tariffs, before deindustrialisation becomes irreversible."