The European Commission announced on Friday 13 March that it is pursuing its trade defence proceedings despite the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In so doing, the Commission wishes to reiterate its support for a European industry that has already been badly affected by this “coronacrisis”.
In order to carry out its trade defence investigations and to verify the existence of dumping or subsidisation by producers in the country or countries concerned, Commission staff carries out verification visits at the premises of the companies involved. This is now impossible due to the preventive measures implemented in China and elsewhere.
In its opinion, the Commission proposes to rely more on written submissions. The institution will endeavour to take into consideration the information duly provided by the parties and to cross-check it with other available information to the extent possible, the document states. If the Commission has doubts about the information provided, it will base its conclusions only on proven facts in the investigation file, it warns, therefore calling on the parties to be as precise as possible.
As regards the deadlines for submitting information, additional flexibility could be granted to companies that can justify it, by extending the deadlines by seven days or more, “as an exception”.
As soon as the health situation permits, the Commission will be ready to review on its own initiative all trade defence measures adopted on the basis of data which could not be fully verified due to the circumstances of COVID-19 and to adjust them if necessary, it also states.
Interested parties have the opportunity to comment on this approach within 10 days of the publication of this notice in the Official Journal of the EU.
To consult the notice: https://bit.ly/2w3xaZH (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)