International trade and COVID-19
| Subject: International Relations
Webinar "Geopolitics and world trade: A view from Barcelona"
On Monday 9th November, the CIDOB and the AMB organised a webinar entitled Geopolitics and world trade: A view from Barcelona, which focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has sped up processes that, in the area of international trade, had been portrayed as irreversible.
The aim of this seminar was to identify the opportunities and challenges facing the world economy and its impact on the economy of Barcelona and its metropolitan area.
The seminar was divided into two sessions, during which participants analysed the impact of global and European value chains from a local perspective, as well as the main sources of instability for international trade resulting from geopolitical changes and the impact of COVID-19.
Sources of instability for international trade
The experts present during the webinar explained that the international trade system is experiencing unstable growth as a result of global geopolitical and geoeconomic changes. The assertiveness of China, its rivalry with the US, the reform of the WTO and the EU's strategic autonomy are just some of the political debates with major economic implications.
The Vice-president of the AMB Area for International Relations and Cooperation, Ernest Maragall, who opened the webinar alongside the president of the CIDOB, Antoni Segura, emphasised the extent to which local economies –and the metropolis of Barcelona is no exception– rely on global value chains. Aspects such as economic growth and internationalisation are affected by the stability of the international trade system, and the coronavirus pandemic has brought forward the long-term impact of these changes.
This seminar was held as part of a cooperation agreement between the CIDOB and the AMB.