The Nuts and Bolts of Anti-dumping Laws: Actors and Institutions in the United States and the European Union

Abstract

Because anti-dumping laws are fairly technical laws, and the devil lays in the details of how they are applied, I provide a brief overview of these laws in this chapter. I review their definition and intention, and explain the structure and functions of the trade agencies tasked with administering them in the United States and the European Union. I compare how the International Trade Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Directorate General of Trade in the European Commission define, interpret, and implement anti-dumping cases, highlighting their unique methods of applying the laws against non-market economies. Finally, I compare the special trade remedy laws designed by the European Commission and the International Trade Administration for dealing with imports from NMEs.