Fourteenth report – overview of third country trade defence actions against the European Union for the year 2016

Trade defence instruments (TDIs) consist of three important tools specifically designed within the framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to meet this goal: anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguards.

Each WTO member has the right to make use of TDIs to counteract unfair trade practices. However, this has to be done in full accordance with WTO rules, as misuse of TDIs leads to unlawful and unjustified protectionist measures that have a negative impact on global trade and economic development. The EU itself is a regular user of TDIs (with the exception of safeguards) but has a moderate and balanced approach. EU standards are in fact even more stringent than those provided by WTO rules and provide for additional conditions before any measures can be imposed.

Starting from 2010, a significant increase in the use of TDIs by third countries against EU exports has been observed. In these times of economic slowdown and stagnant demand, especially in certain sectors, EU industries naturally look for other outlets for their production, including export markets. It is therefore crucial that these export opportunities are not hindered by unwarranted trade defence measures, which unduly restrict market access.

This report describes the overall trends in trade defence activities by third countries which adversely impact or could impact EU exports, the main problems identified and results achieved in 2016. It also gives an overview of what the Commission has done concretely in third country monitoring with a detailed country-by-country analysis and exhaustive figures in the Annex.

The European Commission published on 27 July 2017 its 14th annual report on trade defence actions taken against the European Union during 2016.

EUR-Lex: SWD(2017)277: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2017:277:FIN

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