Businesses are being invited to tell the Department for International Trade (DIT) what they think about the UK’s proposed post-Brexit trade remedy measures.
Trade remedies are currently an EU competence, with investigations, decisions and monitoring of initiatives such as anti-dumping duties performed by the European Commission.
As part of its preparations for Brexit, the DIT is preparing an independent UK trade remedy framework to be implemented by a new mechanism to investigate cases and propose measures.
It is proposed that a new body should be created to investigate trade remedy cases and make recommendations on the basis of clear economic criteria.
The DIT points out that the EU currently has over 100 measures in place on imported products originating from 25 different non-EU countries (with China the main culprit).
Where those products are important to UK industry, the Government is intending to maintain existing trade remedy measures in order to provide certainty to businesses and to ensure continuity.
In order to develop appropriate safeguards, the DIT wants to identify UK businesses that produce goods currently subject to EU anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures, or to an associated ongoing investigation.
The consultation seeks views from those businesses on whether they support, are neutral to, or oppose the UK maintaining existing measures under its independent trade remedy framework.
Any existing measure that does not receive an application to be maintained, or does not meet the required criteria, will end once the UK regime begins to operate. Further information about the consultation can be found at www.gov.uk.
The deadline for responses is midday on Friday 30 March 2018. Responses received after this time will not be considered.
