Brussels, 14/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 14 August, the EU suspended the anti-dumping measures it had applied since December 1997 on bed linen from India, even though the injury that lay at the root of the measure remains (but not for all exports, and to a lesser extent than in the past). The decision may be reviewed in six months: should that not be the case, the anti-dumping measures will expire for good. The European Commission now intends examining the anti-dumping measures in force for the same product from Pakistan and Egypt, as well as other cases, a press release states. India had taken the case to the WTO Dispute Settlements Body, which had rejected most of its arguments but had recognised that the EU's measures did not comply with WTO legislation on certain technical aspects (calculation of the dumping and injury). The EU therefore decided, "under these rather exceptional circumstances" to suspend the duties as no other methodology for examining the injury was available, the press release goes on.
Commissioner Pascal Lamy commented: "whilst mindful of the concerns of the EU industry, our swift action to bring ourselves into line with the panel decision on bed linen from India is a tangible demonstration of the importance the EU attaches to compliance with WTO rulings when we lose". The EU, the press release states, expects other members of the WTO to follow its example and closely examine their use of the anti-dumping instrument.