The reshaping of European trade defence policy raised questions - and some criticism - from WTO member countries in Geneva on Wednesday 24 October at a meeting of the Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The United States asked the European representative for a number of clarifications regarding the European trade defence regulation implemented in June 2018 (see EUROPE 12036), including how to establish the minimum 6% profit margin.
Under the new rules, a 'target profit' of at least 6% can be used to calculate the ‘injury margin’ suffered by an EU industry in the event of dumping (see EUROPE 11931).
The US representative also called on the EU to provide clarification on how importers should be reimbursed for duties collected in an expiry review - when trade defence measures are not extended.
The ‘sampling’ procedures of the European producers were also on the US representative's list of questions.
Russia, for its part, urged the EU to put an end to the practice of seeking distortions in trade in raw materials and treating imports from WTO members without discrimination.
Under the new European rules, higher anti-dumping duties may indeed be imposed where there are distortions on raw materials, when these - including energy - represent more than 17% of this cost.
Expressing his “disappointment” at a failure to apply WTO rules properly, the Russian representative denounced the European defence instrument's taking into account considerations such as restrictions on exports in the country of origin of products at artificially low prices and distortions on the raw materials market.
Saudi Arabia, Argentina, China and Russia have also reiterated their concerns about the regulation on the EU's new anti-dumping method, in force since December 2017 (see EUROPE 11930).
In their viewpoint: the concept of ‘significant distortion' which allows investigating authorities to make their own estimates instead of using domestic prices reported by exporters. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)