On Friday 9 June, the European Commission adopted definitive anti-subsidy duties on imports of certain hot-rolled flat products of iron, non-alloy or other alloy steel from China.
Imports of these products, which are used in the naval and energy industries, will be subject to anti-subsidy duties of up to 35.9% over a maximum period of five years.
The decision follows an investigation which found that the Chinese companies manufacturing the said products had received disguised public subsidies from Chinese state bodies, for example, bank loans at preferential rates, exemptions from direct taxation, reduced property tax and lower energy prices. This aid allowed the Chinese companies to export their products to the EU at artificially low prices, the Commission says.
“With today’s decision, we take another instrument from our trade defence toolbox, to shield our industry from damaging effects of unfair foreign subsidies”, stated Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström.
The Commission says that Friday’s decision comes on top of over 40 anti-dumping decisions already taken “to re-establish a playing-level field” for European steel producers. At the start of April, for example, the Commission imposed anti-dumping duties on the same products from China (see EUROPE 11763).
Anti-dumping investigations are also being carried out on the same range of products from Brazil, Iran, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.
The implementing regulation (2017/969) may be found in the Official Journal of the EU of Thursday 8 June: http://bit.ly/2r9zw5r (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)