Bachelor Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Economics - International Economic Relations, grade: 1.3, University of Duisburg-Essen (Social Economics), language: English, abstract: This thesis deals with the European Union and its tension between free trade on the one hand and protectionism on the other. A closer look at the EU reveals an inconsistency in its policies. Thus, in its domestic policy, the EU represents a strongly free-trade-oriented attitude by standing for a single market without any restrictions. Externally, however, the EU tends to take a protectionist stance in some sectors, such as agricultural policy. In order to be able to deal with this topic more exactly, all bases must be understood as for example terms and theories. For this purpose, the concept of free trade and protectionism will be introduced in detail. Then, in chapter two, the term "economic justification of free trade" is defined in more detail.