Norway ranked in Top Ten of The Enabling Trade Index

Geneva, 7 July 2009 – East Asian economies Singapore and Hong Kong SAR occupy the top two positions in the Enabling Trade Index ranking, followed by Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, according to The Global Enabling Trade Report 2009, released by the World Economic Forum. Canada, Norway, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands complete the top-10 list.

The Global Enabling Trade Report 2009 is launched at a crucial time for global trade, as overall economic activity declines, trade volumes drop and public authorities adopt counter-cyclical stimulus policies and institutional reforms. The report serves as a timely reminder of the risks of protectionism and of the widespread prosperity and poverty reduction associated with the expansion of international trade in the years leading up to 2008.

The Enabling Trade Index, covering 121 economies worldwide, uses a combination of data from publicly available sources, as well as the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum with its network of Partner Institutes (leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries included in the report.

The survey provides unique data on many qualitative institutional and business environment issues, as well as some indicators related to international trade. The Enabling Trade Index, featured in the report, measures institutions, policies and services facilitating the free flow of goods over borders and to destination. The index breaks the enablers into four issue areas: market access, border administration, transport and communications infrastructure, and the business environment.

Source: Weforum.org