Cerame-Unie welcomes the positive outcome for European SMEs in the European Parliament Plenary vote on 16 April on the Commission’s proposal for the modernisation of Trade Defence Instruments (TDI). The proposal includes a package comprised of a draft legislative proposal, draft guidelines and a communication.

The European Parliament sent a strong message for an increased level of assistance to SMEs in trade defence instruments by strengthening the SME Helpdesk, shortening the timeline of investigations and ensuring translations of questionnaires in official EU languages. SMEs are indeed experiencing comparatively higher costs for submitting complaints and providing reliable data to the investigating authorities and should be assisted in the use of TDIs, namely through the SME Helpdesk.

The next legislative stage is a discussion in the Council on the Commission's proposal and the amendments proposed by the Parliament. With regards to the draft guidelines, Cerame-Unie is hoping that they will be adopted as a package together with the Commission’s proposal.