FDF Response
March 2007
FDF has made a submission to the European Commission (EC) in response to its
questionnaire consultation document on trade defence instruments (TDIs). On 7
December 2006, the EC published a Green Paper on possible reforms of the EU's
TDIs, including its anti-dumping policy. The Paper set out a broad range of
questions and suggestions as to how the TDIs could be reformed, without
prejudicing
the basic need for defensive measures to combat unfair trade.
Our response explains that we see TDIs as playing a legitimate and necessary
role in correcting the injurious effects of unfair trade and are therefore
supported as a remedy. We make it clear that TDIs, however, can themselves give
rise
to unfair trade if they are designed merely to protect domestic industry from
the rigours of legitimate global competition and that FDF does not support such
an approach. We ask the Commission to avoid any political friction with third
countries which could subsequently mean retaliatory trade sanctions are imposed
on EU products that may not even be linked to the original complaint. The
domestic food and drink industry frequently suffers as the result of
retaliatory
sanctions, which either increases our raw material prices or reduces our export
competitiveness.
More Information
FDF Response to the EC Consultation on Trade Defence Instruments (pdf, 44kb)
EC Consultation on Trade Defence Instruments
Last reviewed: 05 Aug 2008