Overview
MLex recently featured Steptoe partner Renato Antonini in an article titled, "EU's Trade Defense Caught in Crossfire of Urgency and Procedural Constraints," published on July 23. The piece explores the European Union’s struggle to balance the need for faster trade defense investigations with procedural fairness and administrative capacity.
Antonini commented on the feasibility of expediting trade-defense probes: "Shortening the duration of trade-defense probes is feasible, but could compromise the right of defense. The key question is whether two or three months are crucial for safeguarding the Union’s industry. In my view, they are not."
He also addressed the challenges companies face in responding to commission questionnaires under tight deadlines: "Further reducing the timeframe for companies would seriously undermine their ability to defend themselves." Antonini noted that companies must submit responses within 30 days of notification, or 37 days if no sampling is applied, with additional comments typically due within 10 days.
The article highlights the growing strain on the EU’s trade enforcement system amid a surge in investigations, and the legal and logistical hurdles to accelerating the process.