Brussels (13 December) - The Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed on the Council's negotiating position on a proposal to modernise the EU's trade defence instruments.
"This is a major breakthrough," said Peter Žiga, Slovakia's minister in charge of trade and President of the Council. "Our trade defence instruments have remained largely the same for over 15 years but the situation on world markets has changed dramatically. Europe cannot be naïve and has to defend its interests, especially in case of dumping. This is a crucial step towards a solid solution that would help EU producers cope with unfair competition and practices."
The proposed regulation amends current anti-dumping and anti-subsidies regulations to better respond to unfair trade practices. The purpose is to shield EU producers from damage caused by unfair competition, ensuring free and fair trade.
In particular, the proposed regulation sets out to:
This is the first fundamental review of the EU's trade defence instruments since 1995. In April 2013, the Commission presented a proposal to modernise the existing instruments and make them work better for EU producers, importers and users. At its meeting on 20-21 October 2016, the European Council called for a balanced agreement on the Council position by the end of 2016.