On Thursday 11 May, EU trade ministers gave their backing to the Council position adopted by the member state ambassadors, in early May, on a new methodology for the anti-dumping calculation (to settle the issue of how China should be treated in the EU's anti-dumping investigations), with a view to trialogue negotiations with the European Parliament. The anti-dumping arrangements for China in the protocol on China's WTO accession have now expired (see EUROPE 11780).
"An agreement on the negotiating mandate with the European Parliament has been reached with the support of all member states. And at today's Council we discussed the way forward (...) We are now in a position to initiate negotiations with the European Parliament, which we encourage to come forward with its position in time, with the EU ideally bringing the legislation into force this summer", Malta's Economy Minister and current rotating president of the Council, Christian Cardona, told press.
"We are all aware that in Europe there exists a certain antagonism towards globalisation, and this antagonism was manifested in the opposition that was expressed towards free trade agreements. There are also cases where this antagonism has been fuelled by populists all over Europe and used as a political platform on which they campaigned in national elections", Cardona continued.
"The new antidumping methodology is a clear and unequivocal answer to our citizens' concerns. Europe has listened to our citizens' concerns. It is acting accordingly to protect our families, our business from unfair trade competition in a sustainable manner. This new methodology should not be interpreted in any way as being protectionism. We are simply protecting our businesses and our economies from unfair practices and market distortions", he concluded.
"It is really good news that the Council has a position here and hopefully can enter into trialogue with the European Parliament very soon. It is a balance that we have made a country neutral proposal that will give us the sufficient tools to protect our markets from dumping and to make sure that we act as swiftly and quickly as possible", European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström commented.
The EU's new anti-dumping methodology, which is neutral with regard to all third countries, aims to identify market distortions resulting from state-intervention in these countries and to remedy the harm caused to European industry, in line with the rules of the WTO's anti-dumping agreement. The Council's position largely reflects the principles put forward by the Commission (see EUROPE 11780).
The examination of this new anti-dumping methodology is taking place alongside the separate inter-institutional negotiation process on the modernisation of the EU's trade defence instruments (proposed by the Commission in April 2013 and started this March – see EUROPE 11751 – following the fragile agreement in principle made at the Council in December 2016). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)