Report from the Commission to the European Parliament. 12th report – Overview of third country trade defence actions against the European Union for the year 2014

Anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguards are the three trade defence instruments (‘TDIs’). Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures aim at counteracting the negative effect of unfair trade practices such as dumped/subsidised imports, while safeguards should temporarily shield industries from the negative effect of unforeseen and significant increases of imports. Safeguard measures also differ from the other two instruments, as they are applied on imports from all origins, while anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures are country (and even company) specific.

In the application of TDIs, WTO rules need to be scrupulously respected. Misapplication of TDIs leads to unlawful and unjustified measures that have a negative impact on free and fair trade. This is in particular the case for the safeguard instrument, which is the most trade restrictive instrument, and for which the rules are even stricter than for anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures.

Over the past years, and in conjunction with the global economic crises, an increase of the use of trade defence measures has been observed. In times of economic crises, when domestic consumption in certain sectors decreases, industries naturally look for other outlets for their production and focus on export markets. It is therefore crucial that these export opportunities are not hampered by unwarranted trade defence measures, which unduly restrict market access.

The Commission intervenes, whenever necessary, in order to address systemic issues identified in third countries’ use and practice of trade defence and ensure WTO compatibility. The Commission systemically submits comments in writing, and also increasingly participates in public hearings in third country TDI proceedings, especially when EU exporters’ rights and interests are unjustifiably affected.

This report describes the overall trends in trade defence activities by third countries, which adversely impact or could potentially impact EU exports (measures by third countries can target either the EU as a whole or individual Member States). It also gives an overview of what third country monitoring means concretely with detailed analyses per country and detailed figures in the annex.

See also:
- Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament. 33rd annual report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the EU's anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard activities (2014)

EUR-Lex: SWD(2015)145: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2015:145:FIN

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