Trade remedies protect domestic industries against injury caused by unfair trade practices (imports of dumped or subsidised goods) or unforeseen surges in imports. They usually take the form of an additional duty placed on imports of specific products.

The Department for International Trade assessed which of the existing EU anti-dumping and anti-subsidy trade remedies mattered to the UK. This was done via a Call for Evidence consultation with UK industry and other interested parties, including international industry.

Trade remedy investigations will continue to be carried out by the EU on behalf of the UK and all existing EU trade remedy measures will continue to be applied at the UK’s border until 31 December 2020.

We will continue to monitor any new trade remedy measures introduced by the EU before the UK begins operating its own independent trade policy. Where there is known UK producer interest in any new measure we will reach out to the relevant parties to assess whether the measure should be transitioned or terminated on 31 December 2020.

Transition reviews

All anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard measures that the UK keeps will undergo a UK-wide transition review led by the Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID). Transition reviews will assess whether the current measure is appropriate for the UK market and whether it should be varied changed or terminated. For further information please read our Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) dumping, subsidisation and safeguarding investigations guidance document and TRID’s operational guidance.

Before starting a transition review TRID will ask us to publish a Notice of Determination . We will publish Notices of Determination as and when they are required. Once we have published a Notice of Determination TRID will then issue a Notice of Initiation to formally begin the transition review of the measure.

You can view all live and completed transition reviews on the Trade Remedies Service.

For more information about TRID or to express your views about any current trade remedies, email contact@traderemedies.gov.uk.

Safeguard measures

The UK has committed to maintaining the EU safeguard measures where there is a UK interest in doing so. As with the maintained definitive anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, TRID will conduct a UK-wide transition review to assess whether the measure is appropriate for the UK market, and as such whether it should be varied or terminated.

Steel safeguard measures

DIT has identified 19 product categories covered by the existing EU steel safeguard measure where UK production exists. These would therefore need to be transitioned in order to provide continuity to UK producers.

The remaining associated product categories, where no UK production exists, will not be transitioned and the tariff rate quotas will therefore cease to apply at 11pm on 31 December 2020.

UK specific tariff rate quotas

In order to ensure the transitioned safeguard measures work specifically for the UK from the first day it is operating an independent trade policy, DIT also collected information regarding historical trade flows of steel products between 2015 and 2017 that fall under this measure in order to permit a recalculation of the tariff rate quotas (TRQs).

The UK specific TRQs were recalculated using the same method deployed by the European Commission. The UK specific TRQs for the 19 product categories the UK is transitioning are available in the Secretary of State’s Notice of Determination for this measure.

Steel products to be transitioned or terminated

Below is the list of the 26 EU product categories against which the UK will either transition or terminate within the safeguard measure.

Note: Product Category 11, Grain-Oriented Electrical Sheet, and Product Category 23, Bearing Tubes and Pipes, are not listed because the EU concluded that these product categories should not be subject to a safeguard measure.

Further information relating to a break-down of the country specific and residual TRQs per product category can be found in the Secretary of State’s Notice of Determination for this measure.

Next steps and transition review

The UK specific TRQs on the 19 product categories outlined above will be brought into effect at 11pm on 31 December 2020, following the publication a taxation notice from the Secretary of State for International Trade.

The Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate – as the UK’s competent trade remedies authority pending the establishment of the Trade Remedies Authority – will conduct a transition reviews of the definitive safeguard measures across the 19 steel product categories to ensure these measures fully reflect the UK market situation.

These reviews will consider whether it is appropriate to vary the tariff rate quota associated with the product category on a country by country basis. Further information can be found at the Trade Remedies Investigation Directorate operational guidance on the transition review of EU steel safeguard measures.

Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy trade remedy measures

The table summarises which existing definitive EU anti-dumping or anti-subsidy trade remedy measures the UK will maintain or terminate as part of its independent trade policy. The UK will continue to impose the same trade remedy measures as the EU until the end of the transition period when we cease to apply the Common External Tariff.

If you are aware of any changes to UK production and/or market share of the products covered by any of the trade remedy measures listed below, please contact traderemedies@trade.gov.uk.

Expiry reviews and the UK government transition policy

A measure marked with a ‘*’ in the below table signifies that the European Commission is currently conducting an Expiry Review on this measure. An Expiry Review determines if the measure were to expire, whether dumping and injury would probably continue or recur. An Expiry Review can result only in the repeal or continuation of the duties in force. If measures are maintained, they will normally remain in force for another five years. An Expiry Review cannot lead to a change in the level or form of the duties; these can only be changed by the European Commission as the result of an Interim Review.

Should the European Commission conclude that a measure which the UK is transitioning should be terminated (either by letting the measure lapse or via an Expiry Review), then this measure will fall away and will not be transitioned over to the UK’s independent trade remedies system.

Recent updates to measures being maintained or terminated

This table will be updated to reflect changes at the EU-level in the measures the UK will maintain or terminate. Recent updates are stated below:

• the EU merged the anti-dumping measures on Ironing Boards (AD506 and AD548)
• the EU did not renew the Bioethanol measure against the USA (AD580), meaning that it fell away from the Call for Evidence findings – the Call for Evidence concluded that this measure should be transitioned
• the EU did not renew the Manganese Dioxide measure against South Africa (AD520), meaning that it fell away from the Call for Evidence findings – the Call for Evidence concluded that this measure should be terminated
• the EU imposed an anti-dumping measure on Urea ammonium nitrate (AD649) – DIT assessed this measure, working with UK producers and sector stakeholders to do so, and determined that this measure should be terminated as it did not meet the criteria of the Call for Evidence
• the EU imposed an anti-dumping measure on Indonesian Biodiesel (AS650) – DIT assessed this measure, working with UK producers and sector stakeholders to do so, and determined that this measure should be maintained as it met criteria of the Call for Evidence