A lesson forgotten

"Trade policies of the European Union have not followed the simple script of free trade. In some sectors, protection has been granted, in others, far-reaching liberalisation has occured. In the European Union, a politics of freer trade has developed over the decades, a very particular phenomenon not found in single nation-states around the globe. Deep-seated commitments of governments to the social purposes of the welfare state have played a considerable role in the shaping of national and Community trade policy preferences." "Institutional reforms aimed at enhancing the capacity of the…