History. 1 of 5. Only the EU in 2005 opened probes, 18 days after the threat. In 1968, 1971, 1981 and 1983 no probe was opened; in 1983 an older anti-dumping case covered one of ten goods.
Hunch. The EU has named safeguards as its step, a procedure that starts with an investigation, as the EU's own step did in 2005, the one case with a probe.
The probe market resolves YES if, from 27 September to 14 December 2026, the Official Journal of the EU publishes a notice opening a safeguard, anti-subsidy or anti-dumping investigation that covers hybrid or plug-in hybrid cars from China. A Commission press release announcing the start of such an investigation counts if the notice follows. Reuters and the Financial Times are the backup.
We looked for cases where a country or trade bloc asked another country to send less of a fast-growing product, named the step it would take itself if not, and had not yet opened an investigation into that product. We found five, from 1968 to 2005. In four, the exporter announced a limit within 89 days of the threat. Four of the five exporters were Japan, which relied on the United States for its security.