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Global Market Opportunities 40 MoldMaking Technology November 2014 ment, regulatory efficiency and market openness. This index captures economic freedom through 10 dimensions: property rights, corruption, fiscal policy, government spending, business, labor policy, monetary policy, trade, investment and finance. The sample spans 186 countries. Finally, the World Bank's Doing Business index tracks regula- tions applied to companies operating in the largest business city of each economy. The 10 dimensions covered here include starting a business, construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. The sample spans 189 countries. Results Comparison: 2009 and 2014 The 2009 ranking (based on 2008 surveys and data) reflects pre- crisis conditions, while 2014 captures the current circumstances. Between 2009 and 2014, rankings improved in only about a third of the 29 economies. This would support the contention that European business has slipped in competitiveness. The pro-busi- ness climate has deteriorated more in some countries than in oth- ers, but the worsening trend is consistent across the three rankings. In terms of absolute change in rankings, the top seven economies exhibited the least movement. This means they lost or gained little competitive advantage through the downturn, showing resilience and stability. Only two economies (Germany and Poland) improved across all three rankings. These countries came through the recession in good shape. Seven economies dropped in all three rankings: France, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Greece. Meanwhile, Italy, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands lost ground in two rankings and had unchanged scores in the third. A number of these countries underwent severe crises (Iceland, Ireland, Spain and Greece), others expe- rienced deep recessions (Netherlands, Hungary, Spain and Greece), while still others engaged in tense reform debates with little to show for them (Italy and France). Pronounced Slippage of Europe's Rankings What emerges is a picture of relative decline in competitiveness and ease of doing business. This is largely in line with popular perceptions held by business leaders and almost certainly reflects sizable structural dislocations that took place in many regions. Europe continues to be buffeted by lingering risks, including the unfinished institutional setup of the EU, ongoing banking tribu- lations and rising political opposition toward tighter integration. U.S. Plastics Industry Exports From 2000 to 2013, U.S. plastics industry exports to the EU grew by more than 70 percent from $4.6 billion to more than $7.9 billion, and from 2012 to 2013, they increased by 3.7 per- cent. Although in 2013, the U.S. plastics industry exported goods valued at more than $7.9 billion to the EU, plastics imports from the EU also rose 8.6 percent to $8.2 billion, yield- ing a negative trade balance or deficit overall of $238.3 million. Table 1 (page 38) shows the top 10 export markets of the EU for the U.S. plastics industry, based on total dollar value. Those countries highlighted in gray increased both from 2000 to 2013 and from 2012 to 2013. U.S. plastics industry exports to the EU in 2013 by core segments were: Resins: $4.4 billion (5.3 percent increase) Products: $3.1 billion (1.4 percent increase) Machinery: $308 million (6.0 percent increase) Molds: $54 million (7.7 percent increase) Export Opportunities for Moldmakers Table 2 above shows the top 10 export markets of the EU for U.S. molds for plastics, based on total dollar value. Those countries highlighted in gray increased both from 2000 to 2013 and from 2012 to 2013. The figures from two of the countries in this table are particularly notable: first, the large percent- age increase in exports to Belgium from 2012 to 2013, as it is a trans-shipment country for all of Europe, and second, the Country 2013 In Actual Percent Change 2012 - 2013 Percent Change 2000 - 2013 Germany 13,658,220 44.50% -17.89% United Kingdom 8,053,639 -9.70% -50.24% Ireland 7,091,522 -35.80% -21.55% France 4,898,044 -3.00% 8.39% Belgium 4,356,358 433.30% -0.04% Poland 3,084,218 1.30% 1165.12% Czech Republic 2,595,111 12.20% 251.68% Spain 2,364,529 172.20% 146.31% Italy 2,304,666 -7.50% -38.50% Austria 2,013,896 158.40% 379.70% Total 54,481,182 7.70% -18.52% TABLE 2