The European Commission launched, on Monday 16 November, a new Single Entry Point system for complaints about trade barriers and infringements in the field of sustainable development.
This new tool is in line with the appointment of Denis Redonnet as Chief Trade Enforcement Officer (CTEO) in July 2020 (see EUROPE 12535/22). The Commission is once again showing that it wants to take a hard line on compliance with trade rules.
“Under this new system, complaints relating to sustainable development commitments will be given the same level of focus and attention as market access barriers”, said EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.
The claim form is available on the Access2Markets platform launched on 13 October (see EUROPE 12580/30). The possibility of lodging complaints is open to Member States, companies, federations, civil organisations or European citizens.
The Commission intends to sort the applications in an efficient manner with a form containing more than thirty questions. Complainants will be required to provide specific details on the possible economic or environmental impact of the violations they report.
The Commission also states on the questionnaire that complaints relating to trade defence (anti-dumping, subsidies) will not be taken into account.
Mr Redonnet welcomed the new mechanism which, according to him, will allow “us to focus our resources on the issues that matter most”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)