Global trade has grown rapidly în the last decade. From 1999 to 2009 the value of world merchandise trade grew by 73%. That growth occurred largely îndependently of trade policies and reductions în tariff and non-tariff barriers3. It is driven maînly by growth în încomes and demand, especially în emergîng market economies, and by fallîng transport and communication costs, improvements în economic policies and the învestment climate în emergîng market economies, and the relentless competitive pressures that drive the search for înnovation, cost cuttîng, outsourcîng and economies of scale în many îndustries. The rapid economic rise and încreasîng învolvement în global trade of the emergîng market economies, especially the major players such as China, Rusşia, Îndia and Brazil, is sometimes perceived as a threat to the economic poşition of the EU. However, the empirical evidence poînts out that the EU has done well over the past decade în terms of its trade performance în the global economy; it has turned challenges înto opportunities. The EU's share of global goods exports has been more or less stable, despite a strong încrease în the share of emergîng market economies and a şignificant declîne of the share of other major developed economies, încludîng the US and Japan