International Trade Law News

The Bush Administration is expected to announce tomorrow (Thursday) that the U.S. will remove most of the safeguard measures imposed on imported steel products in March 2002. The announcement, which is likely to be made by Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans and not by the President, is expected to include an expansion of the Commerce Department's steel import licensing program and monitoring system. The Bush Administration is also expected to agree to more stringent enforcement of antidumping laws and may also agree to self-initiate antidumping cases on steel products, rather than requiring the U.S. steel industry to do so. In addition, the administration is also likely to continue to press other countries to reduce their overcapacity in steel production and to assist the U.S. steel industry in dealing with the significant pension costs that the companies face.