8th September 2021
The UK's Trade Remedies Authority is to reconsider its recommendation of transitional steel safeguard measures after eight companies requested a review, the UK body said Sept. 7.Four steel domestic steel producers complained about the transitional measures: British Steel, CELSA Steel UK, Liberty Steel UK, Tata Steel UK, as well as importers Cooper Coated Coil Limited, Aircraft Materials, FT Pipeline Services and industry association UK Steel. They said that the TRA’s recommendation should have extended protection to more categories of steel products. Other importers and UK manufacturers said that fewer steel categories should have protections maintained.
"The steel sector welcomes the announcement of the TRA’s formal reconsideration of its original decision to terminate steel safeguards on half of steel products. Such a termination would leave the sector exposed to uncontrolled surges in imports and undermine the effectiveness of the remaining safeguards, threatening the long-term viability the UK’s steel sector,” UK Steel Director-General Gareth Stace commented.
Reconsiderations are an established part of the UK’s trade remedies regime. At the end of the reconsideration process, the TRA will reach a decision, either upholding or varying its recommendation, and will notify this to the Secretary of State for International Trade. This process could take several months, it indicated in a statement.
On June 30 the TRA had recommended to the Secretary of State for Trade that the safeguard measures should be maintained for a further three years on 10 out of 19 different product categories.
The UK has had steel safeguards as part of the EU since 2018; these were transitioned into UK law in January 2021. The EU safeguard measures were originally introduced to offset any further increases in imports after the US introduced its Section 232 steel import tariffs in March 2018.
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