The government has agreed with the TRA’s recommendation on the UK trade remedy measure on welded tubes and pipes.

On Monday 9 August, the TRA published its recommendation on the UK’s trade remedy measure on imports of welded tubes and pipes from China, Belarus and Russia. This anti-dumping measure was inherited from the EU system and the TRA is tasked with reviewing all the EU measures which have been transitioned to assess whether they are still needed.

The TRA is recommending that the UK continue to apply the anti-dumping duties to imports from China and Belarus but not to imports from Russia. The TRA also recommended that the scope of the measure be changed to exclude one of the four types of product covered by the measure, as it’s not manufactured within the UK. The Secretary of State for International Trade has upheld the TRA’s recommendation, which will now take effect.

Reviewing the measure on imports of welded tubes and pipes

The TRA assessed whether the trade remedy measure, which places duties on imports of welded tubes and pipes from China, Belarus and Russia, is still needed for the UK. This involved gathering data from UK producers and from importers and exporters and analysing it to establish whether these imports are damaging or could damage UK producers by unfairly undercutting their prices. The measure covers welded tubes and pipes of non-alloy steel commonly used for heating and plumbing systems in the construction industry.

The TRA’s analysis found that, if the measures were removed, producers in Belarus and China would be likely to dump these products in the future and cause harm to UK industry, but that Russian producers would not. 

The TRA’s initial findings were published in its Statement of Essential Facts in May, giving case parties the opportunity to review the TRA’s conclusions, comment and add further input. A number of parties submitted responses and the TRA’s final report responded to those submissions and provided further clarification where needed.

The TRA’s recommendation means that the tariffs will be kept where they are needed, on imports from Belarus and China, but not where they are not, on imports from Russia, ensuring that users of these products can secure fairly traded supplies at competitive prices but UK producers are not harmed by unfair trade. These measures will be removed for products imported from Russia after 30 January 2021 (30 days after the date the measure transitioned from the EU into UK law, as specified by the legislation).

The TRA’s Chairman Simon Walker explained:

The TRA’s review of this measure and the evidence we gathered and analysed have enabled us to recommend an outcome which keeps the measures where they are needed and removes them where they are not, ensuring users of these products can secure fairly-traded supplies at competitive prices but UK producers are not harmed by unfair trade.

Background

About the TRA and trade remedies

• The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK body that investigates whether trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.

• The TRA is an arm’s length body of the Department of International Trade (DIT) and launched on 1 June 2021. Before its launch, staff operated as the Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) of DIT.

• Anti-dumping measures are one of the three types of trade remedies allowed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). These measures place duties on products when they are dumped – unfairly imported into a country at prices below what they would be sold for in the country where they are made. The other two measures are countervailing measures which counter unfair subsidies on imported goods and safeguard measures which address unforeseen surges of imports.

• When the UK left the EU, it transitioned across 43 trade remedy measures which were of interest to UK industries into UK law. The TRA was then required to carry out a review of each measure. This is because the measures were originally put in place based on data from across all the EU member states. If the UK is to keep them, it needs to demonstrate that they are needed to protect against unfair trade practices which are damaging or could damage UK industries.

About the transition review into welded tubes and pipes

The review into welded tubes and pipes was initiated on 10 February 2020. The TRA published its Statement of Essential Facts, an interim report stating its initial findings to give case parties the opportunity to comment, on 14 May 2021.

The review concerned an anti-dumping measure which applies to welded tubes and pipes of iron or non-alloy steel, of circular cross-section and of an external diameter not exceeding 168.3 mm, excluding line pipe of a kind used for oil or gas pipelines, casing and tubing of a kind used in drilling for oil or gas, precision tubes and tubes and pipes with attached fittings suitable for conducting gases or liquids for use in civil aircraft.

16 anglers were served notices for fishing offences in Lincolnshire during a multi-agency clampdown on illegal fishing.

The UK has imposed a package of trade, financial and aviation sanctions on Belarus, in response to the continued undermining of democracy and human rights violations by the Lukashenko regime.

The US is also announcing new sanctions measures today, 9 August, one year on from the fraudulent election in Belarus.

These further sanctions follow designations that the UK imposed on 21 Jun 2021 in coordination with the US, Canada and EU, against 7 individuals and 1 entity from the Belarusian regime in response to the detention of journalist Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega following the unlawful diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 in May 2021. The UK continues to call for the immediate release of Mr Protasevich, Ms Sapega and other political prisoners held in Belarus.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

The Lukashenko regime continues to crush democracy and violate human rights in Belarus. These sanctions demonstrate that the UK will not accept Lukashenko’s actions since the fraudulent election. The products of Lukashenko’s state-owned industries will not be sold in the UK, and our aerospace companies will not touch his fleet of luxury aircraft.

The package includes:

• Aviation measures to prevent Belarusian air carriers from overflying or landing in the UK and a prohibition on the provision of technical assistance to President Lukashenko’s fleet of luxury aircraft.
• Trade measures on potash, petroleum products, interception and monitoring goods and technology, goods used in cigarette manufacturing, and dual-use goods and technology to reduce the amount of revenue flowing to the Lukashenko regime and to limit its access to items that could enable the internal repression of the Belarusian population.
• Financial measures prohibiting purchases of transferable securities and money-market instruments issued by the Belarusian state, as well as those issued by state-owned banks, and the provision of loans.

This comprehensive response will also include prohibitions on the provision of insurance and reinsurance to Belarusian state bodies, and changes to the UK Government’s policy to further tighten the existing arms embargo.

The UK is also today designating Mikhail Gutseriev, a prominent Russian businessman who is one of the main private investors in Belarus and a longstanding associate of Alexander Lukashenko. Gutseriev has provided support for the Government of Belarus, including through use of his business interests.

These measures represent a significant additional step in bringing pressure to bear on the Lukashenko regime. They are carefully targeted to build pressure on Lukashenko, state institutions and those around him to change behaviour, while minimising, as far as possible, any unintended consequences on the wider population in Belarus.

These sanctions measures have been put in place via an amendment to the Republic of Belarus (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The measure on aviation-related technical assistance applies in relation to the following designated persons:

• Alexander Lukashenko
• Viktor Lukashenko
• Igor Sergeenko
• Ivan Tertel
• Viktor Khrenin
• Natalia Eismont
• Ivan Kubrakov
• Mikhail Gutseriev

We are amending the statutory guidance for the sanctions regime to state that HMG considers that as of 9th August 2021 technical assistance relating to the following aircraft would be for the benefit of the relevant designated persons:

• Gulfstream G550 – Registration number: EW-001PJ
• Boeing 767-300 – Registration number: EW-001PB
• Boeing 737-800 – Registration number: EW-001PA
• Mil Mi-8 helicopter – Registration number: EW-002DA
• Mil Mi-8 helicopter – Registration number: EW-001DA
• AgustaWestland AW-139 helicopter – Registration number: EW-001PH
• Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy – Registration number: P4-MSG
• Bombardier BD-700 1A10 Global Express XRS – Registration number: P4-GMS

Thank you to our panel and all our journalists colleagues who have joined as well to discuss this latest IPCC report.

I have to say If ever there was going to be a wake up call for the world when it comes to climate, then it is this report.

It does show all too clearly the impact of human activity, and, indeed, the deficiency of our response to date, and why we need to act now on what the science is telling us.

There is another clear message to take away from this.

The future is not yet written.

The very worst of climate change is still avoidable.

If we look back to Paris in 2015, world leaders got together and said that they would do everything they could to limit global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees, aiming for 1.5.

What this report shows is that 1.5 degrees is still achievable.

But that it is retreating and it is retreating fast.

So we do need to follow the science, take action this year and make sure at COP26 we are able to crebilly say that we have kept 1.5 degrees alive.

Our experts on the panel today will speak to the latest science in the report.

But I want to begin by talking briefly about the current political process to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

Now, based on all the conversations I’ve had, I can tell you that there is a clear desire amongst governments to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

And I’ve heard this on many occasions – at the Ministerial meeting, which I hosted in London in July, and at the G20 ministerial meeting I attended in Naples.

But the reality is that we need far more in terms of action.

And action that actually follows the facts.

The science shows us that to keep 1.5 alive we must halve global emissions by 2030, and reach net zero emissions by mid-century.

That is still the case following this report.

And so what we do need is for all countries to commit to net zero, and to make short term emissions reduction targets, their 2030 NDCs, to take them there.

Now you will have seen in June all the G7 nations stepping up to the plate with ambitious NDCs aligned with net zero by 2050.

And what we really need now is all the major emitters to play their part.

And of course I refer to the G20 group of nations, which is going to be absolutely key to our 1.5 degree future.

Together, they represent 80 percent of global emissions, around 85% of the global economy. And they absolutely matter.

Yet only 13 of the G20 have committed to net zero.

And only 8 have submitted new NDCs that are more ambitious than their previous ones.

This really must change before COP26 in November.

The IPCC has been clear that 1.5 degrees requires decarbonisation of every sector of the economy.

And at COP26 we must send a clear market signal to get the transition moving faster.

In terms of the work we are doing, we are focussing particularly on four areas: power, transport, deforestation, and methane.

Because each of these makes a significant contribution to global emissions and warming.

And because technologies and solutions are readily available and cost-effective for dealing with emissions in these areas.

Let’s take power for a start.

We know now that solar and wind are now cheaper than coal and gas around the world.

And analysis shows that to keep 1.5 alive, OECD countries must end the use of coal power by 2030, and the rest of the world by 2040.

So, and I’ve said this before and I repeat again, COP26 must be that COP that we consign coal power to history, with countries committing to end the use of coal power at home and to stop financing coal abroad.

Secondly, road transport. This sector accounts for 10 percent of global emissions.

And to keep 1.5 degrees alive, we want countries to commit to all new cars and vans being zero emission by 2040, or 2035 in those countries with the largest automotive markets.

Thirdly, deforestation.

Land use is responsible for 23 per cent of total global emissions.

And halting and reversing deforestation by the end of this decade is going to play a really vital role in keeping 1.5 degrees within reach.

And that means ensuring global markets reward sustainable production.

We are also determined to drive global action on methane, which has the potential to avoid around 0.3 degrees of warming by the 2040s if we get it right.

Additionally, to deliver a 1.5 degree world we are going to need finance.

So, one of the key COP priorities is to get finance flowing to climate action, both public and private, especially to emerging markets and developing economies, and particularly for adaptation.

Because the reality is that even under a scenario of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees, we are going to need to protect ourselves, and particularly the most vulnerable countries, from the effects of our changing climate.

On finance, we are encouraging all private finance institutions to commit to net zero by 2050, as well as to work with development banks, the MDBs, to mobilise finance to developing economies.

And I am urging developed countries to honour their promise to raise $100billion a year in international climate finance, which was first promised in 2009.

And, my message for those donor countries who have not yet made ambitious multi-year commitments, they need to come forward with further finance commitments at the United Nations General Assembly, in September, including commitments on adaptation finance.

We also urge countries yet to do so to announce their net zero commitments and NDCs at that meeting.

And I am encouraging every nation to step up action on coal, on cars, on forests, and on methane.

To follow the facts. To work together. And keep 1.5 degrees alive. By ultimately listening to the science.

And that is what we are here to do today.

I am really very pleased to be joined by Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

Katharine Mansell, the climate science communications lead at the European Climate Foundation.

Professor Jim Skea, who is Chair in Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London.

And Dr Tamsin Edwards, who is a climate scientist in the Department of Geography in King’s College London.

We are going to start with opening remarks from each of our panelists.

So I am going to turn first to you Tamsin, you of course were one of the authors of this seminal report.

Can you please tell us what are the key lessons it contains for us?