Brussels, 15/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - As we announced last week, the Commission will only be in a position to deliver its report on the review of EU trade defence instruments (anti-dumping measures, anti-illegal subsidy measures and safeguard measures) after the summer, “in September or October”, according to the director general of DG Trade David O'Sullivan, speaking last week to the European Parliament international trade committee about the latest trade policy developments. Two months after consulting stakeholders (producers, consumers, importers, distributors and retailers, the legal and academic communities, member states, and others) on the future of trade defence instruments, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is still considering how to take forward the process begun in the wider context of his new strategy for the EU trade policy, “Global Europe” (see EUROPE 9322). Mr Mandelson has yet to decide on how he will present his proposals to member states, whether as a White Paper setting out the targeted proposals to improve the management of trade defence instruments, or as a Green Paper to extend the period of reflection. After giving assurances last autumn that he wanted to set out approaches on how best to use these instruments and not question their basic value, Mr Mandelson said in mid-April that no major change in arrangements should be expected (see EUROPE 9408). This scaling down of the extent of the review can be explained by an initial examination of the 541 responses to the Commission, which confirmed the wide differences of opinion within the EU over the use of this trade defence arsenal, ranging from, on the one hand, importers, distributors and retailers, multi-national companies which had relocated beyond the Community borders, consumers and “free-trade” member states, all wanting a limit put on the use of these instruments and an increase in what was required to be able to initiate an investigation, to, on the other, industrial producers and “protectionist” member states, which want the status quo to be maintained. While it is unlikely that the Commission will propose radical changes to Community trade defence arrangements, Mr Mandelson, nonetheless, hopes to make some progress, particularly giving greater autonomy to the Commission in the handling of anti-dumping investigations and depoliticising the procedure. The review of trade defence instruments will be discussed at a European Parliament hearing on 16 July. (eh)