Brussels, 16/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 15 September, the EU formally requested a WTO ruling in the dispute between Russia and the EU concerning the anti-dumping duties that Moscow applies to imports of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) from Germany and Italy (WTO case DS 479).
The EU believes that the Russian-imposed anti-dumping duties on LCVs from Europe - 23% on LCVs from Italy and 29.6% on those from Germany - are incompatible with WTO rules, both on procedural and substantive grounds.
At the EU's request, consultations took place on 18 June to try and resolve the dispute bilaterally. However, the consultations did not bring about a response to the EU's concerns on the incompatibility of the measures imposed by Russia with regard to the WTO rules, the European Commission states.
“The EU is concerned by the use of trade defence instruments as protectionist measures, without a proper justification. In line with our general policy to request WTO dispute settlement to address technical shortcomings of trade defence measures taken by another WTO member, the EU has moved to the next step in this dispute”, says Wojtek Talko, the spokesperson for European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht, in a press release.
The Economic Commission of the Eurasian customs union (Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia) decided, on 14 May 2013 (Decision no 113), to apply anti-dumping duties to LCV imports from Germany, Italy and Turkey (the latter having a duty of 11.1% imposed). As Belarus and Kazakhstan are not members of the WTO, the request for consultations was addressed to Russia alone.
The products concerned are LCVs of a nominal gross weight of 2.8 to 3.5 tonnes, van-type bodies and diesel engines with a cylinder capacity not exceeding 3,000cm3, designed for the transport of cargo of up to two tonnes or for the combined transport of cargo and passengers.
In 2012, the value of LCV exports from the EU to Russia exceeded €100 million but they decreased after Russia imposed a recycling duty on certain imported vehicles in September 2012. The EU has already challenged Russia on this at the WTO (DS 462). (EH)