On 8 December 2021, Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of an Economy that works for People, and Commissioner for Trade, held a press conference on the EU anti-coercion instrument, following the weekly meeting of the von der Leyen Commission.The European Commission has proposed a new tool to counter the use of economic coercion by third countries. This legal instrument is in response to the EU and its Member States becoming the target of deliberate economic pressure in recent years. It strengthens the EU's toolbox and will allow the EU to better defend itself on the global stage.