Accommodation Services Hit Hardest by European Trade Barriers

Intra-EU trade barriers remain substantial despite the Union's commitment to free trade among member states. Service sectors face barriers of 110% on average, far exceeding the 13% estimated for intra-US trade. According to the IMF this negatively impacts intra-EU trade as trade in goods is three times larger than trade in services. These impediments stem from issues like procurement rules and lack of harmonized regulations, with research suggesting that reducing intra-EU barriers to US state levels could potentially boost productivity by 6.7%.