And that may already give you some indication as to why protectionism has been on the increase. Ever since the UK vote for Brexit in June 2016, there has been much talk about the rise of populism in Europe.
National elections in Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy as well as regional elections in Germany and several other countries have seen populist parties on the rise, and public debate has been circling around the issue. Even though extremist parties have not gained government control in Europe, they have had some impact on the public discourse.