Activists protesting against the trade deal between the European Union and Canada in front of the empty Austrian Parliament building in Vienna in September. Activists protesting against the trade deal between the European Union and Canada in front of the empty Austrian Parliament building in Vienna in September. Photo: joe klamar/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesBRUSSELS—The European Union started this year by announcing a global trade offensive to counter rising U.S. protectionism. “Those who, in the 21st century, think that we can become great again by rebuilding borders, reimposing trade barriers…are doomed to fail,” European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said in January, four days after Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Mexico's Minister of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo, left, and and European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström giving a joint press conference on trade relations on December 21 in Brussels.

Source: Wall Street Journal December 28, 2017 10:30 UTC