European Trade Policy

With the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957, some European governments chose to pursue a common external trade policy in order to have greater weight in international discussions, notably when facing the Americans. They consequently created a “common customs tariff” whose rate was determined through international negotiations conducted within the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), which became the WTO (World Trade Organization) in 1995. The negotiations were led by the European Commission working in close collaboration with member states.