Brussels, 05/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 10 April, the European Commission will unveil its proposal on reviewing the EU's trade defence instruments. Brussels promises pragmatism and balance, to the advantage of all the stakeholders - producers, importers, SMEs and consumers.
The Commission will present its approaches on Wednesday for modernising the EU's trade defence arsenal. European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht will try to achieve success on a minefield where his predecessor, Peter Mandelson, failed in 2008. The last review of the trade defence arsenal dates back to 1995.
As he had explained in spring 2012, De Gucht wants to make the trade defence arsenal more effective in the face of unfair competition and growing state capitalism in the emerging countries. On the basis of a consultation conducted in spring 2012, De Gucht spoke in May 2012 of several avenues to be explored. Among them were: - enhancing the transparency of the system; - addressing threats of retaliation (the Commission could bring a complaint of its own initiative instead of the companies affected having to do so, in order to offer these companies greater protection); - improving the effectiveness and enforcement of defence measures; - improving reviews of the anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures already in place; - ensuring the relevance of duties adopted in the long-term; - and, particularly, re-focusing the approach of the European interest test, in an age of complex supply chains.
In accordance with WTO rules, the EU's trade defence arsenal is composed of three instruments enabling a response to a sudden rise in imports due to unfair practices by third countries - anti-dumping measures, anti-subsidy measures, and safeguard measures. (EH/transl.fl)