A proposed definitive decision in the European safeguard case against certain steel product imports "does not take into account the needs of the automotive sector and will affect the competitiveness of EU automobile manufacturers," the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Friday January 4.
The European Commission (EC) notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on January 4 of its findings in its safeguard investigation into steel products. It proposed definitive measures in the form of a combination of country-specific quotas and quarterly quotas for the entire region.The proposed measures would continue the current restrictions on imports of steel products into the EU, ACEA said.The Commission plans that the measures will be applied for three years, including the period since provisional measures were first imposed. This means that they will be due to expire on July 16, 2021.But ACEA questioned the need for such protectionist trade measures. It noted that, in the EU automotive segment, access to...