Alicia García Herrero: Europe should pick its battles and find alliances to defend the multilateral trading system

Alicia García Herrero reflects on how researchers and policymakers can support each other. With experience in both worlds, she brings a valuable perspective and a strong voice for bridging the gap between them.

What are the main challenges and opportunities when trying to connect academic trade research with political decisions at national and global levels?

There are two main problems when trying to use academic research for political – but also business – decisions on trade. Firstly, policy advice can be very different depending on the assumptions made and the methodology used in a research project. Policymakers and businesses do not have the bandwidth to grasp such nuances, so they feel confused about the lack of direction on the way forward. The other big issue is the time lag between the challenges – and opportunities – faced by policymakers and business people, and the research results.

What should the EU and other countries that support rules-based trade do to prevent a new wave of protectionism?

Europe needs to accept that it cannot go against the strong winds of protectionism. Instead, it should pick its battles in a pragmatic way and find alliances to defend the multilateral trading system. Europe cannot do this alone.

What are your expectations for the conference?

I am confident that we will have a frank and productive discussion – with a dose of idealism but also pragmatism, and a lot of rigorous ideas – to make it a perfect gathering for researchers, policymakers and businesses.