Business Lobbying and Trade Governance The Case of EU-China Relations

What role do firms play in European Union (EU) trade policymaking? What is the effect of the globalization of production and the emergence of global value chains on the trade preferences, lobby strategies and political influence of various business groups in the EU? How does an established power like the EU deal with the rise of China and how does it regulate the drastically changed patterns of trade in the 21st Century? This book investigates the pivotal political role of firm lobbying within the context of EU-China trade relations, and focusses on the circumstances under which the winners and losers of globalization in the EU lobby, as well as on the receptiveness of decision-makers in the EU to their demands. By examining a series of recent EU-China trade defense cases, the book provides a fresh and innovative account of business-government relations in the EU and sheds new light on the complex trade relations between the EU and China. The book is a must read for students, scholars and practitioners interested in the European Union, trade politics, China's rise, global value chains and international political economy.

Jappe Eckhardt is postdoctoral researcher at the Simon Fraser University, Canada. He studied International Relations at the University of Amsterdam and holds a PhD from the University of Antwerp. His work has been published in The Journal of World Trade, The Journal of European Public Policy, The Journal of Common Market Studies and World Trade Review.

List of tables
List of figures
Acknowledgements
1. Business Lobbying and EU Trade Governance in a World of Global Value Chains
2. The Safeguard Case Against Chinese Clothing Products
3. The EU Anti-Dumping Case Against Chinese and Vietnamese Shoes
4. The EU Anti-Dumping Cases Against Vietnamese Bicycles
5. Conclusions
Bibliography
Index