Given that the current holder of this year’s G8 Presidency, the UK, has made combatting protectionism a priority, the 12th GTA report has been compiled and released just before the G8 Summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, on 17-18 June 2013. Concerns about protectionism are not confined to the UK, however. In April 2013, when introducing reduced forecasts for world trade growth, the Director-General of the WTO, Mr. Pascal Lamy, warned that the protectionist threat may be greater now than at any time since the onset of the global economic crisis. On the basis of the evidence presented here, Mr Lamy’s concerns were well founded.
 
Building on a massive update of Global Trade Alert that saw 904 new entries added to the GTA database which now comprises 3,334 reports on government measures, this report provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of protectionist and trade-liberalising dynamics.

Release date: 12 June 2013