The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic that emerged at the start of 2020 has impacted the global economy and public health to an unprecedented extent. This anthology analyzes the economic and public health impact and policy responses of 20 nations and regions.

My testimony will focus on the evolution and impact of U.S. trade policy as it relates to international e-commerce and digital trade and the challenges involved in trying to analyze and quantify the value of these provisions to the U.S. economy, especially as it relates to the moratorium on enacting duties on digital products.

Writing in the European Cybersecurity Journal, Daniel Castro and Eline Chivot highlight six key goals the Commission should prioritize in the forthcoming Digital Services Act. In particular, the Act should clarify the types of platforms and content that fall under its scope; set proportionate responsibilities and obligations for platforms; increase legal certainty for platforms; protect freedom of expression; harmonize rules across the EU; and minimize the impact of its rules outside its borders.

Canada should provide additional supports for businesses facing the costs of digitizing operations due to the pandemic, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.

The report from the Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade also emphasized a need to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade and mobility, accelerate private sector capital spending, and clarify confusion around Canada’s foreign investment regime.