Digital trade

DIGITALEUROPE is committed to supporting an open and international market. We support a multilateral rules-based system with minimum tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.

Free, open and balanced trade can no longer be taken for granted. Yet, the importance of trade as a determinant of prosperity is well documented. Not only does it contribute to boosting innovation and productivity, but it has also been instrumental in halving extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015. Crucially, it is essential to allow European companies to grow by providing them with a global market in which to expand.

At DIGITALEUROPE we work to improve regulatory cooperation and to recognise international standards. To this end we focus on:

• Ensuring that the European export control regulation for dual-use items is aligned with international regimes
• Avoiding counter-productive technology-transfer requirements, including limitations to the sharing of source code and encryption keys
• Opposing digital protectionism, notably through the careful removal of forced localisation
• Advising the European Union Customs Union (EUCU) on the judicious design of customs classification codes