"EU anti-dumping measures on steel and aluminum products are counterproductive"

The anti-dumping duties in force in the European Union on steel and aluminum products would do more harm than good. This is the opinion of Massimo Campa, an Italian expert in customs law, commenting on an analysis carried out by several scholars, as Prof. Carlo Altomonte and Stefano Riela (Bocconi University, Milan), Prof. Alessandro Barattieri (Université du Québec à Montréal, UQAM), and Prof. Matteo Cacciatore (HEC Montréal, Bank of Canada, and NBER). The study was supported by Assofermet, the Italian national association of iron and steel traders.

The research shows that the dismission of all anti-dumping measures on steel and aluminum products would lead to a growth in real EU GDP of 0.4% and reduce annual inflation by around 0.25%, with great benefits for all European households.

In summary: protectionism leads to inflation; higher domestic prices reduce incomes and investments; demand for goods decreases—which could result in a drop in actual economic activity.

Notwithstanding what is happening in Ukraine, research shows that the prolonged use of these protectionist measures leads to lasting damaging effects, which undermine the benefits that could be obtained from the same national plans under the aegis of the Next Generation EU.

Further information on this study is available in Italian here.