Temporary trade regulations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine

Abstract

This article consists of a detailed survey of the trade regulations adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. It analyses how trade policymakers have responded to unforeseen geopolitical events and how their responses and the scope of these measures have differed depending on the nature of the event. Based on the International Trade Centre's databases of temporary trade measures, we found that 407 COVID-19-related and 189 Ukraine conflict-related regulations have been issued since 2020. During the pandemic, temporary trade measures were global and comprehensive. They have mostly aimed to liberalise the imports and restrict the exports of essential commodities. In contrast, temporary measures were enacted mainly on specific sectors by the belligerents and their allies during the war in Ukraine. They consisted mainly of prohibitions and restrictions of the exports and imports of strategic commodities. Some third countries, considered as neutral in this war, have also adopted temporary measures with global scope to mitigate the sanctions' disruptive effects on their own domestic markets.