Elena Sisto
Email: elena.sisto@ecipe.org
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Elena Sisto is an Economist at ECIPE specialising in trade and digital trade. She holds a master’s degree in Economic Analysis and European Policy from the Free University of Brussels and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Strasbourg. At ECIPE, Elena’s work focuses on the intersection of trade policy and digital transformation, with a particular emphasis on deep trade agreements and cross-border data flows. She has co-authored policy briefs on digital trade and contributed to reports on trade, competitiveness, and industrial policy. Her interests also include family economics and environmental issues.
ECIPE Policy Briefs
Time is Money: The Cost of Delaying the Ratification of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement
Between 2021 and 2025, the EU sacrificed €183bn in exports and €291bn in gross domestic product due to its failure to ratify the EU-Mercosur Agreement. These figures represent the net present value of economic activity that would have materialised had the agreement been implemented as originally scheduled in 2021. This accumulated nominal GDP loss, which reflects not only foregone exports but also unrealised gains from improved access to inputs and diversified...
ECIPE Occasional Papers
Quantum Clusters: Ranking the World’s Deep-Tech Epicentres
The ECIPE Quantum Project has so far laid the groundwork for understanding the global quantum landscape. It introduced the fundamentals of quantum technologies, assessed national activity in investment, scientific output, and patents, and charted international collaboration patterns to show that progress relies as much on shared expertise as on scientific breakthroughs. This work has now led to the next phase: identifying the innovation hubs within each country...
ECIPE Occasional Papers
100 Leaders in Europe’s Economies: Benchmarking Investment, Innovation and Impact in Europe
Europe’s competitiveness is built on openness, interdependence, and global embeddedness. Its prosperity depends not on how many firms it “owns”, but on how many choose Europe as a place to invest, innovate, and employ. Both European- and non-European-headquartered multinationals generate vast value added, capital investment, and technological spillovers within Europe – forming the backbone of its industrial renewal, productivity growth, and innovation...
ECIPE Policy Briefs
Global Digital Trade Takes Off: Is EU Digital Policy Keeping Pace?
Global digital trade is increasingly shifting toward faster-growing regions outside Europe, driving greater external demand for the EU’s digitally deliverable services. As digital supply chains continue to mature, they present additional opportunities for the EU to expand and strengthen its digital trade. However, recent evidence suggests that the EU’s regulatory environment may be limiting its potential gains. Since its introduction in 2018, the GDPR’s...
Media Mention
Mercosul. CIP lamenta “custos elevados” do atraso na ratificação do acordo
(Portuguese) The study "Time is Money: The Cost of Delaying the Ratification of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement" by Fredrik Erixon, Oscar Guinea, Philipp Lamprecht, and Elena Sisto is highlighted by RTP Noticias.
Media Mention
La UE perderá 4.400 millones por cada mes sin ratificar Mercosur
(Behind Paywall in Spanish) The study "Time is Money: The Cost of Delaying the Ratification of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement" by Fredrik Erixon, Oscar Guinea, Philipp Lamprecht, and Elena Sisto is highlighted by Expansión.
Media Mention
EU executive must decide whether to implement Mercosur deal despite setback from Parliament
The study "Time is Money: The Cost of Delaying the Ratification of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement" by Fredrik Erixon, Oscar Guinea, Philipp Lamprecht, and Elena Sisto is highlighted by El País.
Media Mention
Parlamento Europeu envia acordo da União Europeia com Mercosul para Tribunal europeu
(Portuguese) The study "Time is Money: The Cost of Delaying the Ratification of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement" by Fredrik Erixon, Oscar Guinea, Philipp Lamprecht, and Elena Sisto is highlighted by Observador.
Article
Attractivité française : des atouts et des soucis
Elena Sisto is interviewed by the Newsletter BLOCS on French attractiveness remaining strong in sectors like quantum technologies, but facing macroeconomic challenges and competition from US industrial policies.
Book or Paper
The Geoeconomic Interconnectivity Index
Report developed with Bertelsmann Stiftung and The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw). It presents how interconnected the EU is with its neighbours compared to China, Russia, and the US – across trade, finance, and economic policy.
Book or Paper
Mitigating Burdens: Addressing the Impact of EU Sustainable Development Regulations on Neighbouring Countries
Fifth paper crafted in collaboration with Bertelsmann Stiftung under the "Sovereign Europe: Strategic Management of Global Interdependence" project, focusing on the relationships between the European Union (EU) and its neighbouring countries in the EU's indirect-land-use-change (ILUC) rules.
Book or Paper
Overcoming Barriers: How the EU Can Improve Trade Finance Access for Neighbouring Countries
Fourth paper crafted in collaboration with Bertelsmann Stiftung under the "Sovereign Europe: Strategic Management of Global Interdependence" project focusing on the relationships between the European Union (EU) and its neighbouring countries in financial services, with a particular focus on trade finance.
Book or Paper
Beyond Barriers: Rethinking CAP to Enable Agricultural Export Diversity in the EU Neighbourhood
Third paper crafted in collaboration with Bertelsmann Stiftung under the "Sovereign Europe: Strategic Management of Global Interdependence" project focusing on the EU’s agricultural trade relations with its neighbours.
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