"The EU companies rely on the expanding international markets to increase economic growth and employment in Europe. We must help our companies compete on those markets on fair terms". Commissioner Peter Mandelson presents the report on "Global Europe"; this is, explains the trade commissioner, "a strategy to pull down foreign trade barriers and offer new export opportunities, which is part of the new trade policy framework of the EU Commission". The core of this new strategy is a stronger cooperation between the Executive, the member states and the companies that work on third-country markets, "where the local experience makes it easier to locate and overcome trade barriers". The milestones of this policy (the first EU initiative to such effect was taken in 1996) include: closer cooperation between the EU, the member states and the companies, "to locate trade barriers before they show up and to tackle the existing obstacles to trade opportunities"; "better use of the opportunities offered by the negotiations the Doha Round to make progress in the sphere of non-tariff obstacles"; a better database about access to the markets. The text of "Global Europe" is online at http://ec.europa.eu/trade/index_en.htm.
