Vers une politique commerciale multifonctionnelle ?

The research paper by Nicolas Lamp explores the emergence of 'multifunctional trade policy,' a paradigm shift where trade policy is used to achieve broad political goals—such as climate mitigation, national security, and labor rights—rather than focusing primarily on economic efficiency and trade liberalization.

• Multifunctional trade policy represents a shift from viewing non-trade goals as mere externalities of liberalization to treating them as immediate objectives. This approach seeks to address issues including the climate crisis, national security, labor rights, inequality, and supply chain resilience.
• The transition is driven by a crisis in globalization, where the traditional view of free trade as an inevitable force for good is challenged by concerns over job losses, increasing inequality, economic interdependence risks (exemplified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine), and the fragility of supply chains exposed by COVID-19.
• Major developed economies are leading this shift. The US is moving toward 'Globalization 2.0' via the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, focusing on resilience, inclusion, and sustainability, while the EU is implementing tools like the carbon border adjustment mechanism.
• National implementation faces four primary challenges: reconciling incommensurable goals (e.g., balancing economic efficiency against climate targets), breaking expertise silos between government departments, identifying the most effective instruments (such as whether import bans are the best tool for forced labor), and determining decision-making authority.
• The shift toward multifunctional policy is causing a decline in the centrality of international trade law and the WTO. States are increasingly adopting 'whatever it takes' unilateral or mini-lateral approaches, leading to friction with WTO rules, particularly regarding climate-related industrial policies.
• There is a divide between developed and developing nations. Developing countries may view these new objectives as pretexts for protectionism or as a belated adoption of goals they have long championed, such as food security and development, which are often absent from developed nations' frameworks.
• The WTO's future role will vary by topic: it has the most potential for formal law-making regarding sustainability (e.g., the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies), may serve as a coordination forum for pandemic response, and a monitoring forum for security measures, but is unlikely to play a role in labor rights.

APA

Lamp, N. (n.d.). Vers une politique commerciale multifonctionnelle ? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17102

Chicago

Lamp, Nicolas. Vers une politique commerciale multifonctionnelle ? International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17102.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lamp |first1=Nicolas |title=Vers une politique commerciale multifonctionnelle ? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17102 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lampndvers, author = {Lamp, Nicolas}, title = {{Vers une politique commerciale multifonctionnelle ?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/fr/node/17102}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }