INER - Institute of Northern-European Economic Research
Department of Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics
Analyzing trade, strategic dependencies and the shifting architecture of international economic power.
The Department of Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics examines how international trade, global value chains, export structures, industrial policy, sanctions, strategic dependencies and geopolitical rivalry reshape Northern Europe’s economic environment.
Foreign trade is no longer defined by market access alone. It is increasingly shaped by security concerns, technological competition, supply-chain vulnerability, regulatory divergence, export controls, resource dependencies and the use of economic instruments as tools of strategic influence. INER analyzes these developments from a Northern-European, European and transatlantic perspective.
Department at a Glance
Department: Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics
Research scope: International trade, export structures, supply chains, geoeconomic risk, strategic dependencies, sanctions, export controls, industrial policy, economic security and transatlantic economic relations
Strategic focus: Northern Europe’s position in a global economy shaped by geopolitical rivalry, technological competition and structural trade transformation
Primary audiences: Policymakers, public institutions, business leaders, legal researchers, industry associations, media and strategic stakeholders
Research formats: Policy analysis, research papers, strategic briefings, trade intelligence notes, data notes, expert commentary, roundtables and institutional dialogue
Important note: The department provides research and policy analysis. It does not provide legal, financial, investment, sanctions-compliance or export-control advice.
Understanding Trade as Strategic Power
Foreign trade has entered a new strategic era. For decades, trade was primarily understood through the language of market access, efficiency, specialization and growth. These dimensions remain important, but they no longer describe the full reality of international economic relations. Trade is now also shaped by geopolitical rivalry, security concerns, technological competition, industrial policy, sanctions, export controls, resource dependencies and the strategic use of economic interdependence.
For Northern Europe, this transformation is decisive. The region’s prosperity depends on export-oriented industries, maritime connectivity, logistics infrastructure, high-value manufacturing, technological capability, energy systems and reliable access to global markets. These foundations are increasingly exposed to disruption, regulatory fragmentation, strategic dependency and geopolitical pressure.
The Department of Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics studies this changing environment from an economic, institutional and strategic perspective. Its purpose is to clarify how trade creates value, where interdependence becomes vulnerability and how Northern Europe can preserve openness while strengthening resilience and economic security.
Our Mission
The mission of the Department of Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics is to analyze the changing structure of international economic relations and to assess its implications for Northern Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy.
The department examines how trade flows, global value chains, export structures, industrial policy, sanctions, investment screening, resource dependencies and geopolitical competition affect the strategic conditions of economic life. Its work connects foreign trade analysis with geoeconomic interpretation and policy relevance.
We study not only how goods, services, technologies, capital and resources move across borders, but also how these flows are governed, disrupted, weaponized, redirected and strategically contested. Our research is designed to support decision-makers who must understand the risks and opportunities of economic interdependence in a world of accelerating fragmentation.
Why Foreign Trade and Geoeconomics Matter
Northern Europe’s economic model is deeply connected to international trade. Its industrial firms, maritime systems, logistics networks, technology companies and energy-intensive sectors depend on global markets, imported inputs, export opportunities and stable international economic frameworks. This openness has long been a source of strength. It now also creates exposure.
The global economy is becoming more political, more fragmented and more strategically contested. Trade policy, industrial subsidies, technology controls, sanctions regimes, investment screening mechanisms, critical raw materials strategies and supply-chain obligations increasingly shape the competitive position of companies and states. Economic relations are no longer merely commercial; they are becoming instruments of strategic alignment and geopolitical leverage.
The Department of Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics was established to analyze this transformation. Its work helps institutions understand how external economic relations affect competitiveness, where dependencies create risk and how Northern Europe can remain open, innovative and globally connected without becoming strategically vulnerable.
Research Agenda
The department’s research agenda is organized around the transformation of foreign trade in an era of geoeconomic rivalry. It examines how global markets, political power, industrial strategy, technological competition and supply-chain structures interact.
How is foreign trade changing under conditions of geopolitical rivalry?
We analyze how trade flows, market access, export strategies and international economic relations are affected by geopolitical tension, regulatory divergence and the strategic use of economic instruments.
How can Northern Europe strengthen supply-chain resilience?
We examine how companies and public institutions can identify exposure, diversify sourcing, improve visibility, strengthen regional capacity and reduce systemic fragility.
How does industrial policy affect global competition?
We study the return of industrial policy, public investment, subsidies, strategic sectors, reshoring, friend-shoring and the changing relationship between states and markets.
How do technology and trade interact?
We examine the trade dimensions of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, data infrastructure, digital platforms, advanced manufacturing, dual-use technologies and technological sovereignty.
Where does interdependence become vulnerability?
We study strategic dependencies in raw materials, energy, technologies, industrial inputs, logistics systems, platforms, supply chains and critical goods.
How do sanctions, export controls and investment screening reshape economic strategy?
We analyze how restrictive measures, technology controls, foreign investment screening and economic security instruments influence trade, industry, innovation and strategic decision-making.
What role does maritime connectivity play in geoeconomic resilience?
We analyze how ports, shipping routes, logistics corridors, chokepoints and maritime infrastructure affect trade exposure and economic security.
How should Europe position itself between openness and economic security?
We analyze the strategic balance between free trade, market integration, resilience, regulatory sovereignty, industrial competitiveness and transatlantic cooperation.
Core Research Areas
The Department of Foreign Trade & Geoeconomics works across several interconnected research areas. Together, they provide a comprehensive view of how external economic relations shape Northern Europe’s strategic environment.
International Trade and Export Structures
The department analyzes the structure of international trade and the role of export-oriented industries in Northern Europe’s economic model. This includes the examination of trade flows, sectoral specialization, market concentration, export exposure, demand shifts and the long-term competitiveness of internationally active firms.
This research area focuses on how trade supports prosperity, where it creates strategic dependency and how export-oriented economies can adapt to a more fragmented international environment.
Key Topics
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International trade flows
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Export structures and sectoral specialization
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Market access and trade barriers
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Trade exposure by sector and region
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Export competitiveness
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Trade diversification
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Services trade and industrial value creation
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Trade and productivity
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Northern Europe’s export-oriented economic model
Geoeconomic Risk and Economic Security
Geoeconomics examines how economic instruments are used within strategic competition. The department analyzes the economic consequences of geopolitical rivalry, coercive economic measures, strategic dependencies, sanctions, export controls, trade restrictions and state-led industrial strategies.
This research area connects foreign trade with security, resilience and strategic autonomy. It is concerned with how open economies can remain globally connected while reducing exposure to coercion, disruption and systemic vulnerability.
Key Topics
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Geoeconomic risk analysis
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Economic security policy
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Strategic dependencies
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Economic coercion
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Trade weaponization
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Critical sectors and strategic industries
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Resilience of open economies
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Risk exposure of firms and institutions
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Northern Europe in geoeconomic competition
Industrial Policy and Strategic Competitiveness
Industrial policy has returned to the center of global economic strategy. Governments are increasingly using subsidies, public procurement, regulation, investment programs and sectoral strategies to strengthen technological capacity, industrial resilience and economic security.
The department analyzes how this shift affects Northern Europe’s companies, sectors and institutions. It examines whether industrial policy strengthens competitiveness, creates distortions or changes the conditions of international competition.
Key Topics
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Industrial policy and strategic sectors
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Public investment and subsidies
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Competitiveness strategies
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Reshoring and industrial renewal
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Advanced manufacturing
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Clean technologies and energy-intensive industry
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Defence-industrial capacity
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Technology sovereignty
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State-market relations in economic strategy
Technology Trade and Digital Geoeconomics
Technology is one of the central fields of geoeconomic competition. The department examines how trade and economic policy intersect with artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, data platforms, digital services, cybersecurity, dual-use technologies and standards.
This research area analyzes how technological dependencies shape economic strategy and how Northern Europe can participate in global innovation ecosystems without losing institutional and industrial autonomy.
Key Topics
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Technology trade
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Artificial intelligence and trade policy
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Semiconductors and advanced components
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Digital infrastructure dependencies
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Cloud and data platform exposure
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Dual-use technologies
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Standards and technological governance
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Cybersecurity and economic security
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Digital sovereignty and external dependencies
China, Asia and Strategic Market Exposure
Northern Europe’s trade relationships with China and wider Asia are economically significant and strategically complex. The department examines market exposure, supply-chain dependency, technology competition, investment patterns, industrial policy and the balance between commercial opportunity and strategic risk.
This research area focuses on analytical clarity rather than political simplification. It studies how institutions can distinguish between productive engagement, manageable risk and structural dependency.
Key Topics
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China exposure analysis
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Asia trade relations
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Market concentration
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Supply-chain dependency
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Technology competition
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Investment and ownership structures
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Strategic sectors and industrial policy
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De-risking and diversification
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Balancing openness and resilience
Global Value Chains and Supply-Chain Resilience
Global value chains remain central to industrial production, but their risk profile has changed. The department examines how supply chains are affected by geopolitical tension, logistics disruption, regulatory obligations, resource dependencies, energy costs, technology controls and strategic bottlenecks.
This research area focuses on the transition from efficiency-driven supply chains to more resilient, transparent and strategically governed value-chain systems.
Key Topics
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Global value chains
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Supply-chain exposure and dependency mapping
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Resilience and redundancy
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Near-shoring, reshoring and friend-shoring
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Critical suppliers and bottlenecks
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Logistics disruption
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Supply-chain transparency
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Industrial input dependencies
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Risk governance in complex value chains
Sanctions, Export Controls and Strategic Trade Instruments
Sanctions, export controls, investment screening and trade defence instruments increasingly shape international economic relations. The department examines how these instruments affect markets, firms, industrial ecosystems and geopolitical alignment.
This research area does not provide compliance advice. It focuses on policy analysis, strategic interpretation and the economic consequences of restrictive and protective trade instruments.
Key Topics
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Sanctions and restrictive measures
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Export controls
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Investment screening
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Trade defence instruments
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Technology controls
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Dual-use goods and strategic sectors
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Compliance pressure and market behavior
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Economic consequences of restrictive measures
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Strategic trade policy
Critical Raw Materials, Energy and Resource Dependencies
Access to critical raw materials, energy inputs and strategic resources is becoming a central question of economic security. The department studies how resource dependencies affect industrial competitiveness, technological transformation, supply-chain stability and geopolitical vulnerability.
This research area connects foreign trade with energy policy, industrial transformation, maritime logistics, deep-sea technologies and strategic resource governance.
Key Topics
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Critical raw materials
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Resource dependency analysis
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Energy imports and industrial competitiveness
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Hydrogen and e-fuels trade
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Strategic storage and reserves
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Battery materials and clean technology inputs
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Rare earths and advanced manufacturing
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Resource security and trade policy
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Deep-sea and maritime resource systems
Transatlantic Economic Relations
Northern Europe’s strategic economic environment is deeply connected to the transatlantic relationship. Trade, investment, technology, security, industrial policy, sanctions, energy and regulatory cooperation all depend on the evolving relationship between Europe and the United States.
The department analyzes transatlantic economic relations as a core dimension of Northern Europe’s competitiveness and strategic alignment.
Key Topics
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EU-US trade and investment
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Transatlantic technology cooperation
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Regulatory alignment and divergence
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Industrial policy coordination
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Sanctions cooperation
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Energy and security-related economic policy
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Defence-industrial cooperation
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Trade disputes and negotiation frameworks
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Transatlantic competitiveness
Maritime Trade, Logistics and Strategic Chokepoints
Foreign trade depends on physical connectivity. Maritime routes, ports, inland corridors, logistics networks and strategic chokepoints determine whether goods, resources and industrial inputs can move reliably through the global economy.
The department analyzes how maritime and logistics systems affect trade resilience, cost structures, supply-chain exposure and economic security. This field is closely connected to INER’s work on Maritime Affairs and Logistics & Infrastructure.
Key Topics
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Maritime trade routes
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Strategic chokepoints
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Port dependency and logistics exposure
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Shipping disruptions
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Trade corridor resilience
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Container flows and industrial supply chains
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Transport costs and competitiveness
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Port-hinterland connectivity
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Maritime infrastructure and economic security
Our Analytical Approach
The department approaches foreign trade as a system of economic exchange, institutional rules, strategic dependencies and geopolitical incentives. We do not treat trade as a purely commercial phenomenon. We analyze it as a field in which markets, states, technologies, infrastructures and security considerations interact.
Our analytical work combines trade analysis, geoeconomic interpretation, sectoral assessment, policy research, comparative evaluation and strategic risk analysis. This allows the department to examine not only how trade flows change, but why they change and what consequences follow for competitiveness, resilience and sovereignty.
Trade with Strategic Context
We analyze trade flows and market structures in relation to geopolitical pressure, institutional decisions, regulatory change and technological competition.
Interdependence with Risk Awareness
We examine economic interdependence as both a source of prosperity and a potential source of vulnerability.
Sectoral Depth Before Generalization
We study foreign trade through sectoral structures, industrial inputs, supply-chain configurations and technology dependencies rather than abstract aggregate figures alone.
Resilience Before Efficiency Alone
We assess how trade and supply-chain systems can remain functional under disruption, sanctions, logistics stress, resource scarcity and geopolitical tension.
Openness with Strategic Capacity
We examine how open economies can preserve market connectivity while strengthening economic security, industrial capacity and institutional resilience.
Data-Informed Interpretation
We use indicators, comparative assessments and structured monitoring to transform fragmented information into usable trade and geoeconomic intelligence.