EU Trade Defence Investigations Rise Amid Global Trade Tensions

Strategic Insights -

Amid an increase in global trade tensions, the European Union is ramping up anti-circumvention investigations and expanding trade defence measures across various sectors, including agriculture, chemicals, and processed industrial goods. The EU's Trade Remedies Authority has urged manufacturers and exporters, particularly those from Vietnam, to increase origin transparency to avoid legal risks. Vietnam, one of the EU's key export markets, has faced 14 new trade defence investigations initiated by nine countries in the first half of the year.

Key Takeaways:

  • The European Union's Trade Remedies Authority has urged manufacturers and exporters to increase origin transparency to cope with the EU's trade defence investigations.
  • The EU is expanding trade defence measures across various sectors, including agriculture, chemicals, and processed industrial goods, to prevent exporters from sidestepping existing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties.
  • Circumvention investigations accounted for around 9 percent of all new EU trade defence investigations between 2015 and 2024.
  • Anti-dumping duties are the most commonly enforced instrument, and the EU initiated a record of 13 circumvention investigations in 2023.
  • The EU will focus on monitoring import data and investigating suspected cases more aggressively to ensure existing measures remain effective.
  • Vietnam's exports to the EU totalled $51.66 billion in 2024, a year-on-year increase by 18.5 percent.
  • Exports reached $27.3 billion in the first half of this year, up 10 percent over the same period last year.

Statistics:

  • 9 percent of all new EU trade defence investigations between 2015 and 2024 were circumvention investigations.
  • 13 circumvention investigations were initiated by the EU in 2023.
  • $51.66 billion was the total value of Vietnam's exports to the EU in 2024.
  • 27.3 billion was the value of Vietnam's exports to the EU in the first half of this year.
  • 18.5 percent was the year-on-year increase in Vietnam's exports to the EU in 2024.
  • 10 percent was the increase in Vietnam's exports to the EU in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.

Sources:

  • "Trade Remedies Authority of Via ++t Nam urges manufacturers and exporters to increase origin transparency"
  • "EU trade defence measures expanding across sectors amid global trade tensions"