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Growing trade and risk of rising protectionism

Over the last decades, the world has witnessed the broadest and deepest wave of globalisation it has ever seen and levels of trade and foreign direct investment progressed apace. In 2025, the volume of trade is expected to double in comparison to 2005 with most growth coming from Asia. With the economic and financial crisis, these achievements could come under pressure and progress in the negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda of the WTO, essential for the EU prosperity, could be limited. The WTO anchors international trade and a global economy in an open rules-based system based on international law.

2014

Challenges at the horizon 2025

European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)

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Growing competition and the rise of emerging powers and relative decline of the West calling for a redistribution of global power and the EU's role in international organisations and the global diplomatic stage

By 2030, the economic power will have shifted from the West to the East and the US, the EU and Japan’s share of the global economy could shrink significantly— reversing their importance relative to the emerging world. As a result, the calls for rebalancing and more effective global coordination are one of the great challenges of current times. Under such trend, the need for cooperation in the framework of WTO as well as materialisation of a single European voice in multilateral institutions becomes imperative.

2014

Challenges at the horizon 2025

European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)

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Continuing presence of instability in the world

The security challenges will remain a key issue for the EU over the next two decades. Structural change in Asia, Latin America, Eurasia, and Africa and particularly the Middle East with unresolved religious, sectarian, and ethnic tensions will continue to generate armed violence, including organised crime and terrorism.

2014

Challenges at the horizon 2025

European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)

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AI enablement

Putting AI to work by means of big data and feedback

2018

Corum Top Ten Disruptive Technology Trends 2018

Corum

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Composite commerce

A new generation of online/offline convergence