The European Commission has today launched a new complaints
system for reporting market access barriers and breaches of Trade
and Sustainable Development commitments in the EU’s trade
agreements and under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences.
The new complaints system reflects the Commission’s increased
efforts to strengthen the enforcement and implementation of trade
agreements. It follows the Commission’s appointment in July of
its first Chief Trade Enforcement
Officer (CTEO) to oversee its tougher action on enforcing
trade policy, as well as the Commission’s 15-point Trade and
Sustainable Development (TSD) Action Plan of 2018.
This Plan reflects the consensus of promoting close long-term TSD
engagement, on the one hand, and of stepping up monitoring
efforts – and more assertive enforcement – on the other hand.
Complaints will be channelled through a new centralised Single
Entry Point system in DG Trade to allow for a responsive,
focussed and structured process.
Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade Valdis
Dombrovskis said: “The Commission has made
enforcement a top priority, along with a sharper focus on
implementing trade agreements. Under this new system, complaints
relating to sustainable development commitments will be given the
same level of focus and attention as market access barriers. It
is a real step forward because stakeholders now will play a
direct role in ensuring that EU trade policy delivers both on
trade opportunities and on raising labour and environmental
standards. The complaints system will be accessible to all
relevant parties and businesses and Commission services will
assess each complaint and take action as needed.”
The complaints procedure is open to Member States, individual
companies, business/trade associations, civil society
organisations and citizens from the EU. The complaint forms – one
for market access barriers and one for violations of sustainable
development commitments – will be accessible online for EU-based
stakeholders on the ‘Access2Markets’ portal on DG TRADE’s
website. Complainants will be required to provide a detailed
factual description of the issue at stake and to list any actions
already taken to address it. For market access issues, the
complainant will need to describe the alleged barrier’s potential
economic impact. For sustainable development issues, the
complainant must give details of the impact and seriousness of
the alleged breach.
After launching the complaint, the complainant will be informed
as to whether it leads to an enforcement action. The Commission
services will inform the complainant about the content of the
action plan, which may identify the steps suitable for tackling
the issues subject to the complaint but also indicate to the
extent possible timelines of specific actions. The Commission
services could also provide periodic updates on specific actions
undertaken to address the issue, depending on the sensitivity and
confidentiality of each of the steps undertaken.
The entry into operation of the new complaints system is
accompanied, on the website of DG Trade, by a notice containing
operating guidelines for the system and a notice on the broader
working approaches to enforcement and implementation work of DG
Trade under the CTEO.
EU action to tackle barriers facing European companies around the
world has been successful, with the Commission’s work to remove
barriers between 2014 and 2018 generating at least €8 billion
additional exports in 2019.
For more information
CTEO webpage with
operating guidelines and document on working approaches
Complaint forms
