Free trade has been one of the good reasons leading to the creation of the European Union. The governments of the founding countries had the idea of free markets with common rules and fair competition. Boundaries had to be brought down and frontiers had to be crossed, which – in the end – worked. Of course it needs constant efforts to keep it free & fair, as we have just seen with the revised “Posted Workers Directive”, but common rules, tools and control bring common wealth.
Last week we have observed on the international scene that those, who make their supporters think that the easy answers are always the best, have now discovered free global trade as the evil in today’s global economy and want to protect their home markets from the negative aspects. One might simply call it the return of protectionism, but that might be too simple. Because at the same time as these populist steps are taken, those responsible aim for unfair advantages in other arenas.
