concept

Anti-Coercion Instrument

Also known as: ACI

Facts (23)

Sources

The EU's Open Strategic Autonomy and the challenge of ... globalpolicyjournal.com Eugenia Baroncelli · Global Policy Journal Aug 27, 2025 17 facts

claimThe Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) has never been used to date and relies on complex multi-stage procedures requiring coordination between the European Commission and the Council, as well as a final-resort dialogue between the Commission and the party in question.

referenceKim Olsen and Claudia Schmuker authored the article 'The EU’s New Anti-Coercion Instrument Will Be a Success if It Isn’t Used,' which was published in Internationale Politik Quarterly (Issue 1/2024) on October 1, 2024.

perspectiveKim Olsen and Claudia Schmuker argued in 'The EU’s New Anti-Coercion Instrument Will Be a Success if It Isn’t Used' (Internationale Politik Quarterly, 2024) that the effectiveness of the EU's new anti-coercion instrument is contingent on it not being utilized.

claimThe Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) serves as an insurance mechanism for the European Union against the United States' reliance on Section 301 of the 1974 US Trade Act and the shift toward national security concerns under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

perspectiveExperts have noted that the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) carries an escalation risk if used pre-emptively or preventively under minimally frictional scenarios.

accountThe Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) was designed to protect EU Member States from economic coercion, specifically following China's economic targeting of Lithuania in 2021 after Lithuania opened a Taiwanese diplomatic mission.

claimOpen Strategic Autonomy measures include 'traditional' trade and industrial policy tools, specifically the EU FDI-Screening Mechanism (FDI-SM), the New Export Control Regime, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), the Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI), and the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) with its associated Enforcement Regulation.

claimOpen Strategic Autonomy (OSA) features a set of mercantilist yet mostly defensive tools, with the potential exception of the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) if it is used to respond to minor frictions in areas outside the purview of the World Trade Organization.

claimThe Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) allows the European Union to implement counter-measures against third-party infringers, pending a pro-EU adjudication by the WTO Appellate Body, and covers services and intellectual property rights (IPRs) not currently included under WTO regulations.

claimThe Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI)-cum-Trade Enforcement Mechanism represent exceptions to the EU's defensive mercantilism, demonstrating potential for leadership in greening trade regulations and setting deterrence standards against economic coercion.

claimThe Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), combined with the EU Revised Trade Enforcement Regulation, is a defensive tool at the intersection of trade and security policy, described by some as the EU's "secret weapon" or "big bazooka."

claimFollowing the threat of punitive tariffs by the United States in 2025, the European Union has referred to the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) as a potential response tool.

claimThe Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) carries an escalation risk if used pre-emptively or preventively under minimally frictional scenarios, according to Baroncelli and Ülgen (2024) and Olsen and Schmuker (2024).

claimIn 2025, the EU identified the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) as a potential response tool to the threat of punitive tariffs from the United States (Politico 2025).

referenceThe European Commission maintains an 'Anti-Coercion Instrument' as part of its trade policy framework, as documented on its official website.

claimThe European Union's Open Strategic Autonomy (OSA) measures are categorized into "new tools" (EU Chips Act, Carbon Border Adjustment Measure, Critical Raw Materials Act, Net-Zero Industry Act) and "traditional" trade and industrial policy tools (FDI-Screening Mechanism, New Export Control Regime, Foreign Subsidies Regulation, Single Market Emergency Instrument, and the Anti-Coercion Instrument).

European Union | Springer Nature Link link.springer.com Springer Jan 2, 2026 3 facts

claimThe European Union's Anti-Coercion Instrument represents a shift where foreign policy objectives are increasingly integrated into trade policy, according to Freudlsperger and Meunier.

claimC. H. Wu evaluates the legality and effectiveness of the European Union's proposed anti-coercion instrument in a 2023 article in the Journal of World Trade.

claimK. Olsthoorn questioned whether the European Union's anti-coercion instrument represents a return to unlawful unilateral trade countermeasures in a 2024 legal analysis.

The European quest for autonomy at a time of shifting paradigms tepsa.eu TEPSA Feb 27, 2026 2 facts

perspectiveThe European Union maintains that it should utilize autonomous trade measures, such as the Anti-Coercion Instrument, to protect against predatory behavior by other global players.

perspectiveThe European Union maintains that it should not be held hostage to predatory behavior by other global players and should utilize autonomous measures, such as the Anti-Coercion Instrument, when necessary.

Quest for Strategic Autonomy? Europe Grapples with the US - China ... realinstitutoelcano.org Real Instituto Elcano Jun 26, 2025 1 fact

claimChina's coercive economic measures against Lithuania between 2021 and 2022 accelerated the European Union's adoption of the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI).