Free trade and investment: a key driver of growth and jobs in Europe

Last October the European Commission published Trade for All, a document which synthesises the EU’s new position on trade. This document highlights the need to adopt an ambitious trade policy and explains the benefits foreign exchange of goods and services and foreign investments entail for the whole of society. The document also tries to respond to the demands of civil society by adopting a more comprehensive concept of trade that encompasses fundamental aspects such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, transparency and human rights.The Confederation of Employers and Industries of Spain (CEOE) and BusinessEurope have followed the EU’s new definition of trade policy with great interest since its inception. The CEOE has contributed to this process by stressing the key features that should constitute the core elements of trade policy in the 21st century. In this paper I will try to summarise what I consider should constitute the fundamental parts of a strong trade policy that is able to ensure the prosperity of Europe in a fast evolving globalised economy from whose opportunities and benefits we should not seclude ourselves.