The European Commission adopted a regulation on Wednesday 18 July putting in place provisional anti-dumping duties – ranging from 27.5% to 83.6% depending on the producers targeted – on imports of electric bicycles (e-bikes) from China. The duties will be imposed from Thursday 19 July.
The anti-dumping investigation opened on 20 October 2017 showed that, between 1 January 2014 and 30 September 2017, prices of dumped imports from China significantly undercut EU industry prices. Over that period, the EU industry lost 23% points of market share in a market growing by 74%, according to the Official Journal of the EU.
Over the same period, imports from China increased by 250% and gained 17% of market share from 18% to 35%.
The investigation will continue until January 2019, after which time definitive duties lasting five years could be imposed.
The European Bicycle Manufacturers Association (EBMA), which brought the complaint, welcomed the decision which enjoys “broad support” among EU member states and will “prevent further injury to European industry”.
It “should send a clear signal to Chinese e-bike companies to stop their dumping, and give European e-bike manufacturers an opportunity to recover lost sales”.
In early May, the Commission, at the request of the EBMA, adopted a regulation which required all imports of electric bicycles from China to be registered, as a means of limiting low-cost imports (see EUROPE 12015). (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)