In all proceedings, the Commission is under an obligation to uphold the rights of defence of all parties. This entails the need to disclose to the parties the essential elements on which the Commission intends to base its decisions and the possibility for the parties to make their views known. This can be done in writing, or parties may request a hearing with the Commission services.

Moreover, in order to further protect the rights of defence, the Commission has put in place a Hearing Officer. The Hearing Officer, as an independent mediator, guarantees the rights of defence in TDI proceedings. The Hearing Officer’s annual report will include a section related to SMEs. The Hearing Officer is at your disposal at any stage of an investigation, and also at the complaint stage, should you feel that your rights of defence have not been duly considered.

Source: “TDI Trade defence instruments, Anti-dumping & Anti-subsidy - A Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses” by the European Commission