EU, Turkey agree deadline for safeguard adjustment

The EU and Turkey have agreed that 16 January 2023 is the deadline for the reasonable period of time for the EU to implement the recent WTO recommendation to adjust its steel safeguard measure.

In May, the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body recommended the EU should bring its definitive safeguard measure into conformity with the Agreement on Safeguards and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT 1994). This followed the conclusion of an investigation carried out by a WTO panel set up in 2020 at the request of Turkey.

The panel found that the safeguard measure is inconsistent with Article XIX:1(a) of the GATT 1994 and inconsistent with Article 4.1(b) of the Agreement on Safeguards (see Kallanish passim). The day of adoption of the recommendations and rulings was 31 May.

Adam Smith Poland