The COVID‐19 pandemic and European trade patterns: A sectoral analysis

Abstract

This article examines how the COVID‐19 pandemic affected European trade patterns. Specifically, dynamic panel data models are estimated over the period 2019M1–2021M12 to assess the effects on exports and imports of various sectors and products (selected on the basis of their trading volume or strategic importance) of the restrictions and of other policy measures adopted by national governments during the crisis. The results suggest that the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic was heterogeneous across sectors and product types, both the initial drop and the subsequent rebound being different depending on sectoral characteristics and the degree of resilience. In particular, trade flows of durable products were more significantly affected by the pandemic compared to those of non‐durable ones.