Past and future challenges for the external competitiveness of the euro area

Over the past few decades, the euro area has gradually lost market share in global trade. This article describes the long-term trends underlying the decline in the euro area’s market share, relating it to losses in competitiveness in foreign markets. It explains how a series of recent global shocks – such as pandemic-related supply disruptions, geopolitical tensions and the energy shock following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – as well as other factors affecting price and non-price competitiveness had an asymmetric impact on the euro area compared with its main trading partners and exposed important vulnerabilities in its external competitiveness. These vulnerabilities are particularly significant in view of the challenges ahead, which are linked to the persistence of the energy shock, risks associated with geo-economic fragmentation and the ongoing structural transformation of the European and global economies. JEL Classification: F14