On 4 May 2021, the European Commission announced that as part of its enforcement of international trade rules, the Commission services have concluded two examinations under the EU’s Trade Barriers Regulation (TBR): one concerning Saudi Arabia´s measures restricting market access to EU ceramic tiles, and one concerning Mexico’s measure affecting Tequila exports to the EU. The Trade Barriers Regulation is part of the Commission enforcement efforts in the area of international trade rules. The Trade Barriers Regulation is one of several EU instruments available to enforce trade rules, alongside the new complaints mechanism under the Single Entry Point of DG Trade, and the possibility for the Commission to decide on its own (ex officio) to initiate investigations into possible infringements of market access rights or TSD commitments by third countries. The “Working Approaches to Implementation and Enforcement Work” guideline document sets out how these different instruments and working approaches are articulated in the Commission’s trade enforcement work.
