Projects & Trainings
Selection of research and consultancy projects
Client: European Commission, DG Trade (2023 - present)
Trade Impact is carrying out the "Ex Post Evaluation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and its Member States and Canada". This evaluation looks at the effects that have occurred since the CETA was provisionally applied (2017), with a focus on the economic effects (GDP, trade in goods/services, GDP, sectors, SMEs), social effects (wages, poverty, employment, ILO decent work agenda), environmental effects (natural resources, biodiversity, soil, water & air quality, climate change) and human rights effects (labour rights, right to health, etc.). Strategically this evaluation will also look at effects on EU strategic resilience, critical raw materials, EU trade diversification, and market access.
Client: European Commission, DG Trade (2022-2024)
Trade Impact carried out the European Commission's Ex-Ante Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment for the EU-India Free Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement negotiations, covering the potential economic, social, human rights and environmental effects of these agreements through quantitative and qualitative research and stakeholder consultations. This SIA also focused on how these Agreements could contribute to the EU's strategic objectives.
Client: European Commission, DG Trade (2021-2022)
Trade Impact, as part of the BKP Economic Advisors team for the Framework Contract, led the "Ex Post Evaluation of the Trade Pillar of the EU-Central America Association Agreement". The team looked at the sustainability effects of the Trade Pillar of the AA, including at the effect on trade in bananas and the issue of biodiversity. We used a combination of quantitative and qualitative evaluation techniques, complemented by extensive stakeholder analysis, including six online workshops (due to COVID-19) in each of the Central American countries.
Client: European Commission, DG Trade (2019-2021)
Trade Impact, as partner in the team led by BKP Economic Advisors, worked on the analytical assessment of options and editing work as part of the GSP reform process that has been ongoing. Trade Impact experts focused on the human rights aspects as well as specific GSP country analyses - of the impact of different GSP reform scenarios for existing GSP(+) beneficiaries.
Development of a methodology to assess the impact of trade liberalisation on biodiversity
Client: European Commission, DG Environment (2019-2020)
As a subcontractor in the IEEP-Consortium, Trade Impact worked on the development of an approach to measure the impact of trade liberalisation on biodiversity. The Trade Impact team developed the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and how it linked to biodiversity aspects. This methodology is now the baseline for linking trade to biodiversity.
Ex-Ante Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment of the EU-Australia and EU-New Zealand FTA negotiations
Client: European Commission, DG Trade (2018-2019)
Together with BKP Economic Advisors, Trade Impact carried out the European Commission's Ex-Ante Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment for the EU-Australia and EU-New Zealand FTAs, covering the potential economic, social, human rights and environmental effects of these two Agreements. This SIA focused on the issues of dairy, beef, environmental collaboration and transport emissions in particular.
"Verified Conservation Areas - Business Plan"
Client: Verified Conservation Areas Foundation
The VCA - Verified Conservation Areas - is a foundation that promotes the sustainable use of land anywhere in the world. It is a voluntary programme that aims to contribute to a better and more sustainable world tomorrow. Trade Impact has drafted a business plan for the VCA, covering aspects like growth of the initiative, membership, management, and financial sustainability.
"Multiple Framework Contract for the provision of evaluation services to the European Commission in the field of Trade" (2017/A5/01)
Client: European Commission, DG Trade (2018-2022)
Trade Impact, as part of a consortium led by BKP Economic Advisors, co-managed and worked on projects within the Framework Contract for evaluation services in the field of Trade for DG Trade from 2018 - 2022. We provided a wide range of relevant areas of expertise as well as project management and quality control services.
Selection of training and education projects
Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) Rotterdam School of Management: "Economics for Global Business Managers" and "Global Experiential Leading Corporate Strategy and Development (2024 - present)
The Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) is the flagship MBA programme of the Rotterdam School of Management since 2023. Trade Impact is involved in providing the senior executive participants with a course on 'Economics for Global Business Managers' (focusing on key economic concepts like incentives and game theory, market structures, and then expanding these concepts to discuss Brexit, the energy crisis, the AI revolution in the context of global companies. The GEL 'Leading Corporate Strategy and Development' - that Trade Impact coordinates - is a collaboration with Georgetown University on geopolitical fragmentation, the WTO and market access questions for global companies.
China-Europe International Business School (Switzerland Campus): The economics of neutrality (2024)
At the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Trade Impact staff organised a session for a group of Executive MBA students of the CEIBS on 'The economics of Neutrality', covering the concept of neutrality, the advantages and disadvantages of neutrality for business, and the impact of the geopolitical climate for the cost-benefit analysis of neutrality from a global business perspective.
College of Europe: EU Policies: Review and analysis of their Implementation (2018 - present)
At the College of Europe, Bruges Campus, Trade Impact staff has been lecturing - together with Prof. P. Moscovici and Prof. M. Kaeding - the courses of 'Policy lab: EU Policies' and 'EU Policies: review and analysis of their implementation' since 2018. These courses involve discussing and covering EU policy initiatives (e.g. COVID-19 policies, EU response to US steel & aluminum tariffs, or the EU Review of the Pharmaceutical Legislation).
DP World: Evolve Executive Leadership Programme (2018 - present)
As part of the DP World Leadership Programme 'Evolve' that Rotterdam School of Management is contracted to provide, Trade Impact experts developed and ran a 2-day detailed simulation and roleplay of an EU Free Trade Agreement negotiating process, flanked by introductory lectures and in-depth discussions and learning module afterwards.
Leergang Buitenlandse Betrekkingen (Diplomat Programme) Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (2012 - present)
The Diplomat Programme (LBB) at Clingendael is a short-programme that provides future diplomats in The Netherlands with crucial political, legal and economic information and backgrounds. Trade Impact staff have been involved in this programme since 2012 and focused on 'Uncertainty and the Global Economy', covering issues like geopolitical fragmentation, the rise of Asia, the EU-US and US-China trade spats, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
Post-experience Master Programme 'Maritime Economics and Logistics' (MEL) at Erasmus Universtiy Rotterdam (2001 - present)
The Maritime Economics & Logistics (MEL) programme was founded in 2001. Since the start of the programme staff of Trade Impact has been involved in sharing their knowledge and expertise with the students. At this moment, Trade Impact staff provide the 'Economics', 'International Economics', 'Geopolitical Analysis' and 'Research Methodology' classes for the programme through lectures, case studies, interactive discussions, and in-depth (academic and applied) assignments.
Executive OneMBA programme Rotterdam School of Management: "Economics for Global Business Managers" (2015-2021)
The Executive MBA is an MBA programme for experienced business leaders. Trade Impact provides the course 'Economics for Global Business Managers'. This course is an introduction to economics and business concepts (e.g. incentives, game theory, market structures) and then builds on those to explain current trends and events in a detailed way (e.g. Brexit, mega-regional FTAs).
Selection of examples of strategic advice
Strategic Advisory Services for C-suite managers and senior politicians and policy makers
Trade Impact leadership has provided, on an ad hoc basis, strategic analysis and advice to C-suite managers, senior politicians, policy makers and leadership of international institutions regarding key topics that could impact and upend global businesses and / or international relations. Questions that were covered as part of this strategic advice were: how to act/react to changes in the post-COVID-19 world, how to navigate increasing geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainties, how to remain globally competitive, how to assess the (speed of) the transition to a net-zero economy and it challenges, how to pursue an agenda of strategic resilience while remaining open for global business opportunities and supporting global supply chains, how to win the race for critical raw materials that fuel green and digital transitions.