In recent years, there has been an increase in the practices of non-EU countries seeking to unduly interfere in the EU’s and/or its Member States’ policy choices.

Such coercive practices, including the threat of coercion, may take the form of existing legislation or unwritten measures and may affect any policy field. They unduly interfere with a country’s sovereignty and undermine the freedom to regulate by taking (or not taking) particular policy measures.

On 8 December 2021, the European Commission published a proposal for an instrument to dissuade or offset such undue tactics in line with public international law.

The instrument would empower the Commission, in specific situations of coercion, to take trade, investment or other restrictive measures towards the non-EU country exerting the pressure.

Anti-Coercion Instrument process explainer

Press releases

• Political agreement on new Anti-Coercion Instrument to better defend EU interests on global stage (6 June 2023)
• Commission welcomes key progress in trialogue on Anti-Coercion Instrument (28 March 2023)
• EU strengthens protection against economic coercion (8 December 2021)
• Strengthening the EU’s autonomy – Commission seeks input on a new anti-coercion instrument (23 March 2021)

Political agreement between the EU institutions

• Questions and Answers on the political agreement between the EU institutions on an Anti-Coercion Instrument (7 June 2023)

Commission proposal

• Questions and Answers on the Commission’s proposal (8 December 2021)
• Commission proposal for an Anti-Coercion Instrument and annexes
• Commission Communication to the European Parliament and the European Council on the Commission’s proposal for an anti-coercion instrument

Impact assessment

• Impact Assessment Report
• Impact Assessment Report - Executive Summary

Feedback and opinions

• Regulatory Scrutiny Board Opinion
• Stakeholder feedback following adoption
• European Parliament legislation tracking page
• Joint declaration of the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament on an instrument to deter and counteract coercive actions by third countries 
• Consolidated results of the stakeholders public consultation (23 March-15 June 2021), 7 September 2021
• Stakeholders meeting on 16 April 2021. A video recording of the stakeholder meeting is available on request. trade-anti-coercion@ec.europa.eu