Leon Martini (@leonmartini.bsky.social)

No, the EU does not impose a 45% tariff on itself A recent paper which has gathered significant attention estimates a 45% tariff equivalent of intra-EU border costs. This column argues that this estimate is likely too high and depends on the particular dataset used and specific estimation choices. Therefore, it also vastly overstates the barriers that are akin to tariffs and could be lowered as a result of European Commission policy decisions. Instead, it argues that there are more urgent reforms with larger potential benefits, such as boosting EU innovation capacity and R&D spending. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/no-eu-does-not-impose-45-tariff-itself