2/18/2014 12:06:00 PM
HEADLINES
EU Tariffs on China Fasteners Extended For Review
“The European Union threatened to renew for another five years tariffs on screws and bolts from China, a step that would extend protection the Chinese government challenged at the World Trade Organization,” Bloomberg reports.
The European Commission has initiated an Expiry Review of the antidumping measures applied to imports of a range of carbon steel fasteners from China, according to Fastener + Fixing Magazine.
The measures, originally brought into force in February 2009, applied antidumping duties of up to 85% on fasteners falling within ten CN codes and including bolts, screws and washers.
In July 2011, following a circumvention investigation, the tariffs were applied to imports of the same products from Malaysia, with the exception of those exported by eight companies that succeeded in obtaining an exemption. In October 2012, following rulings by a WTO Dispute Panel and Appeal Body, the EU amended the original regulation bringing the maximum anti-dumping tariff to 74.1%.
“The Expiry Review was requested by the European Industrial Fasteners Institute on 1st October 2013,” writes Fastener + Fixing executive editor Phil Matten. “The EIFI application alleges that removal of the current anti-dumping duties would result in the recurrence of dumping and that this would result in a recurrence of injury to the European fastener manufacturing industry.”
As part of its submission to the European Commission the EIFI compared Chinese export prices to the U.S. market with the prices of fasteners transshipped from China via third countries to Europe to evade the anti dumping duties.
“Such circumvention is considered evidence of dumping and the potential of its recurrence if the antidumping measures are repealed,” Matten writes.
The Expiry Review will take up to 15 months to reach its conclusion. During this period the existing antidumping measures remain in force.
The Review will consider:
• Evidence of continued dumping and injury.
• Evidence that removal of injury has only been due to the application of the measures.
• Evidence that further dumping and injury is likely if the measures are repealed.
The Review will not consider the level of tariffs, effectively only reaching a simple yes-no decision whether the existing measures should continue in current form or not. If it determines that the measures should be extended this will be for a further five years from the date of that decision.
Organisations may apply to be an interested party in the Review, allowing them to make submissions to the investigation. Deadlines for submissions are detailed in the Notice of the Expiry Review. ©2014 GlobalFastenerNews.com and Fastener + Fixing Magazine
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