Steel safeguard measures review – draft recommendation published

• UK and overseas industries have seven days to review and comment on the findings before a final decision is made.
• TRID recommends former EU safeguard measures on 10 categories of steel imports be extended for three years.
• Measures on nine categories of steel imports would be revoked as there is no UK production or there has been no increase in imports found, no significant increase in imports, no serious injury, or, in one category, extension would not meet the Economic Interest Test.

The Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) of the Department for International Trade has today (Wednesday 19 May) published its Statement of Intended Preliminary Decision which sets out its findings on the UK’s steel safeguard measures.

TRID reviewed 19 categories of steel imports that are covered by the existing trade remedy measures, covering 253 different products in total. TRID’s report recommends that the existing trade remedy measures on imports are extended on 10 categories and revoked on nine categories.

For the 10 product categories on which TRID has recommended that the measures should be extended, it has determined that there was an import surge, that future injury to UK producers was likely to be caused if the measures were removed, and that extension meets the Economic Interest Test. TRID has determined that Tariff Rate Quotas remain the most appropriate form of measure to be applied for these categories, with imports outside the Quotas facing a tariff of 25%.

For six of the nine revoked categories, TRID found that there was no increase in imports to the UK between 2013 and 2017, meaning that the measures cannot be extended. For the other three revoked categories, it was found that the import increase was not significant enough, or was not likely to cause injury, or that extending a measure did not meet the Economic Interest Test.

Following today’s publication, there will be a seven-day period in which interested parties can comment on the report. TRID will then consider and produce a Final Determination, which will be sent to the Secretary of State for International Trade who will make the final decision on whether to uphold TRID’s recommendation.

The full Statement of Intended Preliminary Decision can be found here.

Notes to Editors

• As part of its review, TRID conducted an Economic Interest Test to consider:
  • the damage that the imported steel products are causing to UK producers of those goods  
  • the economic significance of affected industries and consumers in the UK and the potential impact of keeping or revoking the measure
  • the likely impact on particular geographic areas and groups in the UK
  • the likely consequences for the competitive environment and the structure of the UK market in these goods.
• TRID has recommended that the measures being retained are extended for three years.
• We reviewed 19 product categories, which contained 253 different product codes in total. The total number of product codes in our intended preliminary decision reduced by 16 codes to 237 as a result of a scope change which combined two categories. We intend to recommend that the measure is revoked on 135 product codes, and extended on 102 product codes. This represents revocation of all codes in nine product categories and extension of the application of the measure on all codes in 10 product categories with two of those categories amended (i.e. some codes are revoked).