The European Commission has today published its Annual Report on the EU’s trade defence activities of 2021. The report concludes that the “trade measures” agreed at European level “have directly protected 460,000 jobs in the EU in 2021 in key manufacturing sectors such as aluminium, steel, ceramics and green technology”. “This shows that EU measures are effective in defending EU producers against unfair international trade practices”. European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said: “Defending European producers and workers against the damage inflicted by those who do not play by trade rules is essential. Ensuring fair trade is more important than ever in today’s challenging global environment and when security of supply is under threat. We cannot allow dumped or subsidised imports to damage EU industry. This is why the effective enforcement and implementation of our trade defence measures remains a top priority for the European Commission”.

The statement issued in Brussels reads: “By combatting unfair imports of products crucial”, for example, “for renewables or digital value chains, such as wind tower components or optical fibres, the EU’s trade measures encourage investment in modern manufacturing and research and development, both critical to maintaining supply, growth, job stability and revenues in these industries in Europe”.