Brussels, 20/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission took provisional anti-dumping measures against the imports of Chinese coke of more than 80 millimetres. The investigation opened last September in fact largely supported the allegations of dumping and prejudice put forward by Eucoke-EEIG, spokesperson of the Community industry in this case. Most of the producers inside the EU (three are Spanish, one British, one French, One Belgian and one Italian) thus saw their prices fall and their situation deteriorate during the last years, due to the constant and clearly inferior prices practised by their Chinese competitors, implying dumping margins that on average exceeded 60%. These unfair imports only stopped when they won European market share, with a rise of 63% in terms of volume and a market share that was stable.
To try a counter these practices a and re-establish a situation of "effective" competition, and an anti-dumping duty will be imposed on them at European borders during the next six months, to the level of EUR 33.7 per tonne, which corresponds to a rate of 45.1%. The Commission preferred establishing a specific amount, rather than stick to a rate, "so as to guarantee the effectiveness of the measures and to discourage that they be taken on through a reduction in export price," it is noted in the decision published in the official Journal NºL/141 of 15 June.