TRA widens review of UK’s steel defences
The TRA has expanded the scope of its review of the steel safeguard measure to ensure new evidence submitted by the UK steel industry is fully considered.
The TRA has today (Wednesday 26 March) expanded the scope of its review of the steel safeguard measure to ensure new evidence submitted by the UK steel industry is fully considered.
UK Steel, the trade association for the UK steel industry, submitted evidence to the TRA earlier this month that there have been changes in circumstance that may warrant a change to the current tariff rate quotas imposed. The TRA has therefore decided to examine this new evidence as part of a review already underway into the developing countries excepted from the safeguard measure.
UK Steel’s submission noted that the quotas of certain categories of steel (namely categories 4, 7 and 13) are being dominated and exhausted by individual countries. The TRA has also acquired other data which indicates that there are other categories whose residual quotas have been exhausted early in the quarter (categories 5, 16, 17 and 21).
The submission also noted that there has been a decline in global demand for steel, both in the UK and globally, including China, where demand has fallen by 3%. The submission points to a fall in demand in the UK, and notes that demand has contracted by 16% between 2018 and 2023. UK Steel claims that against this backdrop, the current safeguard measure does not offer adequate protection to UK industry.
The TRA will therefore consider whether the tariff rate quotas to which certain steel products are subject should be varied.
Once the TRA has concluded its review of the tariff rate quota, it will publish an intended recommendation, allow interested parties to comment, before submitting a final recommendation to the Secretary of Business and Trade.
As a result of the expanded matters being considered in the review, interested parties can now register their interest or provide updated submissions via the TRA’s public file before 9 April 2025.
Notes to editors:
- The Trade Remedies Authority is the UK body that investigates whether new trade remedy measures are needed to counter unfair import practices and unforeseen surges of imports.
- Trade remedy investigations were carried out by the EU Commission on the UK’s behalf until the UK left the EU. A number of EU trade remedy measures of interest to UK producers were transitioned into UK law when the UK left the EU and the TRA has been reviewing these to assess whether they are suitable for UK needs.
- UK industries concerned about imports have been able to submit applications for a new trade remedy measure since January 2021. These applications are considered by the TRA to see if there are grounds for an investigation.