Brussels, 27/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Union significantly increased the number of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations during the first quarter of this year, due to the financial crisis in Asia and the difficulties faced by the steel industry around the world. This is the main trend that is lifted from the interim report on Community activities in this area that the European Commission published this Wednesday.
This document, which covers the three first months of 2000, gathers the statistics on: a) the new investigations (7 anti-dumping and 3 anti-subsidy); b) the provisional measures (22 against 17 last year, including 17 anti-dumping and 5 anti-subsidy) and the definitive (9 of which 7 anti-dumping and 5 anti-subsidy); c) the procedures that have closed (concerning 6 new investigations, 4 re-examinations and 4 interim examinations). We also note that half (11) of the provisional measures where instituted concerning steel products. These statistics are inserted in the final report on 2000 that the Commission will present to the European Parliament next year. They may be consulted on the Internet site: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/trade/policy/dumping/reports.htm.