Initiated NTB measures and their impact on growth

Nevertheless, some countries are more sensitive to NTBs than others. The EU28’s exports seem more sensitive to protectionist measures than imports. The correlation between NTBs and the trade activity of some countries illustrates this sensitivity (see below).

If the correlation is equal to one, for imports for example, this means that the initiated NTBs vary in the exact same proportion as imports. For example, if country A has a coefficient correlation of 1 (measured for protectionist measures and the level of trade), this means that if the protectionist measures increase by 10 % in one year, then trade will decrease by 10 %, in exactly the same proportion as the protectionist measures.

Based on the WTO and Eurostat data, China shows more sensitivity to NTBs overall, compared to other major countries. To the contrary, the EU28 and the USA are more sensitive to NTBs on the export side. EU28 countries are more sensitive than the USA on imports.