The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has this week initiated the last review of all 43 measures carried over to the UK following the country’s departure from the European Union.
This major achievement has been completed ahead of schedule and means the review of all relevant EU trade measures are now either complete or underway.
The TRA’s expert and analytical focus now fully shifts to defending UK industry against new and emerging unfair international trading practices and supporting the government with the pressures of a rapidly changing and complex global trade environment.
In reviewing the EU’s transitioned measures, the TRA has recommended to the UK government, on the basis of evidence, what trade remedy measures the UK should maintain unchanged, which measures should be revoked (because no UK industry was affected) and which measures should be amended to better protect the UK’s economic interests.
Since the TRA began its programme to review the transitioned measures in 2020:
- 3 trade measures on alloy wheels, stainless steel bars and rods and Category 2 steel products have been revoked completely;
- 12 trade measures covering such industries as e-bikes, biodiesel, tyres, ceramic tiles and glass fibre have been amended to suit the UK’s need better; and
- 14 trade remedy measures have been maintained as they were when the UK was part of the EU, as the trading conditions were assessed as not significantly changed for products such as certain steel products and rainbow trout to warrant a new tariff.
TRA Chair Nick Baird said:
“I’m immensely proud of the TRA for initiating all measures transitioned from the EU ahead of schedule. We’re now seeing more new cases being brought by UK industry to combat unfair trading practices. As we look to the future, we stand ready to take applications from the UK government or UK industry to respond to real global trading pressures now faced by UK businesses”
The TRA’s 140-strong expert team is also dedicating its specialist investigative, legal, and analytical capability to reviewing existing trade measures that are due to end or expire, including the safeguard measure on steel imports, or anti-dumping and countervailing measures on imports of biodiesel.
Since being established as an arms-length body of the Department of Business and Trade in 2021, the TRA has matured to:
- now deliver a range of trade injury investigations to bring it alongside its more established trade remedy authority counterparts – such as the US, Canada, New Zealand or Australian administrations who have been undertaking trade defence for significantly longer than the UK’s trade body,
- and position its capacity and capabilities to offer a broader remit of trade defence options to the Government, while remaining within the legal powers that the TRA was granted as part of the Trade Act 2021.
The TRA ensures it is defending UK trade from unfair international trading practices and has so far defended British producers across over £21 billion or more than 3% of all UK imports.
Any UK producer that believes that they are being harmed by unfair overseas trading practices can contact the TRA’s contact@traderemedies.gov.uk for informal guidance and support on how to complete an application and follow our processes, as well as answers for more general queries about our work.
Notes to Editors
- The TRA is the UK’s independent body for investigating and recommending trade remedies. It is an Arm’s Length Body of the Department for Business & Trade
- The anti-dumping measure on imports of ammonium nitrate from Russia is the final trade remedy measure transitioned from the EU to be reviewed, with 29 transition reviews having been completed and 14 now underway.
- UK industries concerned about imports have been able to submit applications for a new trade remedy measure since January 2021. These applications are considered by the TRA to see if there are grounds for an investigation.
