On Friday 11 November, the European Commission adopted a regulation establishing a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of certain pipes and tubes of iron or steel originating in China.
More precisely, Commission Regulation (EU 2016/1977) is applicable to Chinese exports of certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron (other than cast iron) or steel (other than stainless steel), of a circular cross-section and of an external diameter exceeding 406,4 mm.
These products are typically used in power plants, construction, and the oil and gas industry.
Initiated on 13 May 2016 following a complaint lodged by the industry, the Commission's investigation confirmed that the Chinese products targeted had been sold in the EU at heavily undervalued prices.
In order to provide EU companies with some breathing space, the Commission imposed duties ranging between 43.5% and 81.1%.
In the next six months, the Commission will decide whether these measures are definitive, in which case they will be applied for a period of five years.
The EU currently has an unprecedented number of trade defence measures in place targeting unfair exports of steel products from third countries, with a total of 40 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, 18 of which are on products originating from China.
In addition, 14 other investigations concerning steel products are still ongoing, including three cases for which duties are being provisionally applied. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)