| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2011) 399 final (4.7.11) |
| Publication Date | 04/07/2011 |
| Content Type | Policy-making, Report |
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The European Commission's monitoring activity during the year 2010 was quite intense given the unprecedented high number of investigations initiated in 2009, in the context of the global economic crisis. Individual assistance was provided to several EU industries confronted with these investigations, and many interventions were necessary in order to ensure that EU access to foreign markets was not unduly restricted by unwarranted measures. Indeed, in times of crisis, EU exporters faced trade defence actions that are indeed sometimes used in order to shield the domestic industry in the importing country from foreign competition. The EU's interventions were positive since many investigations did not result in measures, and at the end of 2010 the number of measures in force against the EU has reached its lowest level since years. The Commission's interventions thus often led to positive results and this is encouraging. Unfortunately, not all the problems could be solved. The number of new investigations in 2010 remained relatively high, with a higher degree of complexity. In addition, despite some improvements, some of the weaknesses identified in the previous reports still exist, such as low standards of initiation and investigation, lack of transparency and misuse of the safeguard instrument. The Commission has developed new tools to assist EU industries – a guide for EU exporters has been published and a new and more user-friendly website was developed – and it will continue to advocate for a prudent and disciplined use of trade defence instruments in order to promote free and fair trade worldwide. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0399:FIN:EN:PDF |
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| Subject Categories | Trade |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
