On the role of trade in strengthening the EU’s economic security
A-10-2026-0148
Committee on International Trade · Rapporteur: Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez
- Voted on · Adopted 415–105–142 · See the decision →
- Full procedure 2025/2113
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This resolution sets out Parliament's position on the role of trade in strengthening the EU's economic security, welcoming the December 2025 joint communication and calling for a proactive, whole-of-system approach.¶¶¶ It stresses that openness and diversification are primary means of reducing vulnerabilities, while targeted measures are needed against systemic distortions, overcapacity, and coercion.¶¶¶ It calls for stronger enforcement of trade rules, higher anti-dumping duties, harmonised export controls, and a more coordinated investment screening framework.¶¶¶ It highlights sectoral risks in critical raw materials, energy, digital infrastructure, health, and transport, urging action to reduce dependencies and protect critical assets.¶¶¶ It reaffirms commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system and closer cooperation with trusted partners, while insisting on Parliament's scrutiny role.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on International Trade proposes a resolution that welcomes the joint communication, calls for a proactive economic security strategy, and urges concrete actions on diversification, enforcement, and investment screening.¶¶¶
Key points
- Welcomes the joint communication of 3 December 2025 and calls for an action plan, roadmap, and concrete targets on de-risking supply chains in strategic sectors.¶
- Calls for a whole-of-system approach integrating economic security into climate, energy, trade, competition, digital, industrial, research, and investment policies.¶
- Expresses concern about China's market distortions and overcapacity, and calls for assessments of critical dependencies with quantified data.¶¶
- Emphasises that economic security is not isolation; openness, diversification, and competitiveness are primary means to reduce vulnerability.¶
- Calls for reducing fossil fuel and renewable technology dependencies, boosting electrification and circular economy, and ensuring the green transition does not create new dependencies.¶
- Urges finalising trade agreements with reliable partners and establishing new agile partnerships with binding commitments to de-risk supply chains.¶¶¶
- Calls for an ambitious circular economy act and for stimulating investment in critical circular technologies.¶
- Calls for an annual economic security scoreboard with clear indicators to assess progress.¶
- Urges modernising and deploying trade defence instruments more strategically, shortening investigation timelines, and using threat-of-injury provisions.¶¶
- Calls for a harmonised EU export control regime and revision of the dual-use regulation, with a consolidated unit to address evasion.¶¶
- Calls for consistent application of FDI screening, additional mechanisms with economic security indicators, and Commission authority to block investments posing EU-wide risks.¶¶¶
- Calls for an outbound investment screening framework to address critical technology leakage, and for safeguards on intellectual property.¶¶
Who is affected
- EU companies in strategic sectors face calls for diversification, compliance with new screening and export controls, and potential restrictions.¶¶¶
- Third countries, especially China, are targeted by calls for stronger trade defence, investment screening, and reduced dependencies.¶¶¶
- EU institutions, particularly the Commission, are tasked with new responsibilities for enforcement, coordination, and reporting.¶¶
- Member States are urged to ratify free trade agreements and implement consistent screening and export controls.¶¶¶
- Workers and citizens are to be protected from economic shocks, with social impact assessments required.¶
Figures and deadlines
- more than 20 % of its GDP from external trade¶
- EUR 18 trillion single market with its 450 million consumers¶
- around 98 % of its supply of rare earths and over 90 % of its magnesium imports¶
- domestic recycling rates for rare earths remain below 1 %
- over 60 % of global lithium refining capacity and over 85 % of rare earth processing capacity
- production cost differentials of 30 % to 40 %¶
- deficit reaching EUR 400 billion
- Europe accounting for only around 15 % of global hyperscale data centre capacity¶
Legal basis: Article 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union¶