Reports
Reports on trade policy and internal market issues by the National Board of Trade, Sweden, are listed here. You are welcome to download them free of charge. If you are looking for a specific topic, use Search at the top of this page, then filter on Publications.
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Common Specifications: Fallback or challenge for harmonised standards within the EU?
Published: 2025
European harmonised standards have long been the primary tool businesses use to demonstrate compliance with EU product legislation, supporting innovation, legal certainty and competitiveness. However, delays in their availability have created challenges, leaving companies facing uncertainty and higher compliance costs.
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LDC Graduation: Challenges and opportunities for EU–African trade
Published: 2025
An increasing number of African countries are preparing to leave the UN’s category of least developed countries (LDCs). This analysis focuses on how that changes the conditions for trade. New opportunities may arise – both for countries that graduate and for those that remain in the LDC group.
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Rethinking Trade with Asia
Published: 2025
Asia’s emerging markets show strong economic growth, increasing in importance for Sweden and the EU. The report highlights the role of free trade agreements and examines how Sweden and the EU can balance economic opportunities with geopolitical realities in Asia.
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A New Trade Policy Era – the need for a rule-based trade coalition
Published: 2025
In an analysis, the National Board of Trade Sweden proposes that the new era created in the international trade structure means that the EU should build new support frameworks together with like-minded partners to revitalise a rule-based trading system.
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Analysis: The EU’s Free Trade Agreements – a tool to enhance crisis preparedness
Published: 2025
Free trade agreements (FTAs) have untapped potential to strengthen the EU’s crisis preparedness. Recent global shocks – such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – have exposed vulnerabilities in the EU’s supply chains. This analysis explores how FTAs can help keep trade flowing during...
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Uncertainty in Standardisation
Published: 2025
The EU’s system for product rules depends on harmonised standards. But a recent court ruling has created legal uncertainty about public access and copyright. This puts the current model for developing standards at risk – and with it, the EU’s ability to support safe, green, and digital products across the internal...
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Trade Policy for Electrification
Published: 2025
Electrification is a key strategy for achieving Sweden’s climate goals, driving competitiveness, and reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels. Replacing fossil fuel driven technologies and processes in transport and industry with electrified alternatives is expected to lead to a large increase in electricity use,...
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The Impact of Foreign Acquisitions on Swedish Firms’ Carbon Emissions and Energy Use
Published: 2025
Swedish firms have lower carbon and energy intensities in their production after foreign acquisition, according to this report from the National Board of Trade Sweden. This finding is stronger for more carbon- and energy-intensive firms. With this in mind, there is hardly ground for environmental considerations to be...
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Tariffs do not Improve the Trade Balance
Published: 2025
A central premise of US trade policy under the Trump administration is the idea that higher tariffs reduce the trade deficit. At first glance, this may seem logical. However, there is no correlation between high tariffs and a positive trade balance. In fact, a policy mix that includes higher tariffs is more likely to...
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The GDPR and International Trade
Published: 2025
Data regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can strengthen global data privacy standards and increase trust, thereby benefiting trade. However, the GDPR has also created regulatory uncertainty, increased compliance costs, and hampered cross-border data flows, which have negatively affected EU...
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Multinational Firms and Productivity
Published: 2025
In this analysis, the National Board of Trade Sweden has examined what happens to the productivity of Swedish companies that are acquired by foreign firms. Do the effects differ depending on whether the new owners are from Europe, North America, or Asia?
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Navigating Cross-Border Data Flows and the GDPR
Published: 2025
Limiting cross-border data flows can negatively affect economic growth. Businesses face specific challenges with regards to cross-border data transfers. This report analyses these challenges from a trade policy perspective and gives recommendations that could reduce regulatory complexity for international businesses.
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Trade Policy for the Age of AI
Published: 2025
This policy brief examines the role of trade policy in enhancing the European Union’s (EU) competitiveness within an increasingly AI-driven global economy. It argues that achieving competitiveness in the age of AI requires access to essential inputs, including data, computing power, energy, connectivity, capital, and...
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Mapping trade-related agreements
Published: 2024
This report maps and analyses a certain type of trade cooperation that is taking place outside of formal trade policy. We call this form of cooperation ‘trade-related agreements’ (TRAs), the scope of which differs from previously established terms like ‘mini deals’.
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Time for an EU-US digital agreement
Published: 2024
In response to rising geopolitical tensions, both the EU and the US are increasingly restricting the cross-border flow of trade and investments. This analysis proposes that the EU should seek a digital agreement with the US.
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The Costly Impact of Trump's Proposed Tariffs
Published: 2024
This analysis examines the potential effects of the United States implementing a tariff regime with additional tariffs on imports from China and other countries, as pledged by Donald Trump ahead of the upcoming November 2024 election. The findings indicate that all analysed countries and regions would experience...
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Cloud Services and Export Performance
Published: 2024
Swedish companies using cloud services tend to be more international, exporting to a wider range of markets. A new report highlights key benefits for smaller firms in terms of productivity and global expansion, while also stressing the need to reduce trade barriers, particularly between the EU and the USA.
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Trade Effects of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement
Published: 2024
The free trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine (DCFTA) has resulted in their trade doubling. Further economic integration with the EU is important for Ukraine's economic recovery and future stability, according to a new analysis from the National Board of Trade Sweden.
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The Cumulative Effect of EU Regulations on External Trade
Published: 2024
There is a risk that the many new regulations introduced by the European Union will have undesirable consequences for trade with third countries. This may result in welfare losses for the EU as a whole and, in the long term, damage the image of the EU as a trading partner.
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The Impact of Energy Costs on Trade and Production in Sweden
Published: 2024
Energy costs have long been very stable, but they increased rapidly in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This analysis looks at the relationship between energy costs, industrial production, and international trade for Swedish firms in the period between 2007 and 2021.