EU sets anti-dumping duties on hot rolled steel from China

The European Commission decided on Thursday that it will impose anti-dumping duties on imports of Chinese-made hot rolled steel products. The Commission had previously investigated the case and found that these products were being sold in Europe at bargain prices.

The duties range from 18.1 to 35.9 percent, depending on the product, and will be higher than the temporary measures imposed by customs duties on these goods in October last year. The new duty should protect European steel producers from the negative effects of Chinese price dumping.

Hot rolled steel is used for the production of steel pipes (required for construction), as well as the shipbuilding industry, the automotive industry, pressure vessels and power lines.

This is another decision of the European Commission, which aims to protect the European steel market from unfair export of steel products from third countries. So far, the European Commission has launched 41 anti-dumping investigations, 18 of which relate to goods manufactured in China.

For several years the EU has been fighting against unfair practices that they use in other countries, in particular, China is subsidizing production. Last November, the European Commission presented a draft regulation to help protect a subsidized product from China from the EU. Its central element is a new way of calculating the dumping margin, which will apply to all WTO countries.

According to WTO rules, the EU can impose anti-dumping duties if an earlier study shows that, in fact, products have appeared on the market at a discount to the detriment of the Union's industry.