UK trade remedies and the economic interest test
19 February 2025, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Location: IEA, 2 Lord North Street ( entrance on Great Peter Street), London SW1 3LB
Think tank: Institute of Economic Affairs
This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs discusses the TRA’s unique Economic Interest Test (EIT).
About the discussion
The UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is an independent body established in 2021 to protect UK industries from unfair international trade practices, such as dumping, subsidies, or import surges. It investigates these issues and recommends measures, like tariffs, to prevent harm to domestic businesses while ensuring compliance with World Trade Organization rules. This discussion will consider the TRA’s unique Economic Interest Test (EIT), which evaluates whether imposing a trade remedy serves the broader economic interests of the UK. The EIT considers factors such as the injury to domestic industries, the economic significance of affected sectors, impacts on consumers and supply chains, regional effects, and competition dynamics. In anti-dumping or subsidy cases, the EIT assumes remedies are beneficial unless evidence shows disproportionate harm; in safeguard cases, benefits must be explicitly demonstrated.
About the speaker
David Collins is a Professor of International Economic Law at City St George’s University of London. He is the author of numerous books and articles on trade and investment, notably Introduction to International Investment Law and Foundations of International Economic Law. He is on the list of indicative panellists of for trade remedies disputes for the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USCMA) and is an independent member of the UK’s Trade Remedies Authority’s Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. David is qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales, Ontario and New York.
About the series
This will be the next instalment in our monthly Food for Thought series, hosted in partnership with the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham. The purpose of this series is to foster high-level academic discussion on themes within the classical liberal tradition, touching on economics, philosophy, history, law, and related disciplines. In turn, we hope to form a community of academics, policymakers, professionals, and students united by the exchange of ideas and life-long learning.
