Factsheet: The economic interest test
Updated 23 July 2024
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The Economic Interest Test (EIT)
Factsheet Highlights
- What is the EIT?
- What do we look at when determining the EIT?
- How can you contribute to the EIT?
What is the EIT?
The economic interest test (EIT) is a key component of the UK’s trade remedies framework which looks at the impacts of our duties on the UK economy.
The EIT helps us determine whether applying duties would lead to costs for the UK economy which are disproportionate to the benefits for UK producers.
Our starting position for the EIT is that dumping and countervailing measures are in the UK’s economic interest. We don’t have the same presumption for safeguards.
What do we look at when determining the EIT?
Who would be affected by a measure?
- Which consumers?
- Which businesses?
- How important are they to the UK economy? (Number of employees, turnover, etc.)
How would they be affected?
- Would they gain or lose from a measure?
- How big might these impacts be?
Where would the impacts fall?
- Would certain groups be more affected?
- Would certain places be more affected?
How would a measure affect competition?
- Would the number of businesses change?
- Would market shares change?
- Would consumer choices be affected?
Are there any other relevant matters?
- Product specific issues such as environmental factors
How can you contribute to the EIT?
If you produce or import a product we are investigating, you need to register as an interested party on the relevant case. You can do this on our online case platform (Trade Remedies Service).
If you are a business or consumer who buys a product we are investigating, or if your make products used in its production process, you can complete an online survey to provide evidence to the investigation.