Brussels, 05/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The EU has decided to extend for a further five-year period, the anti-dumping duties imposed for the last decade on colour televisions from China, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. Anti-dumping duties imposed on colour televisions from Singapore have been terminated, indicates the Council in a regulation published in Official Journal L 231.
The investigation launched in 1998 shows that despite measures taken by the EU in 1990 (against China) and in 1995 (against other countries), imports from these countries rose by 73% between 1995 and 2000 (413% for China), while total sales of televisions only rose by 31% in that time. The televisions in question continued to be dumped on European markets with a dumping margin of between 21.2% and 44.6%. The market share held by these countries and their production capacities have also sharply increased, notes Brussels, and "it can be concluded that there is a likelihood of recurrence of injury" for EU industry.
The one exception is Singapore, where national production focuses on local markets and several manufacturers of CCTVs have ceased production.
EU exports note that "the prices of the imports concerned… exerted a pressure on the prices of the Community industry which prevented them from reflecting the increased costs of the Community industry … (contributing) to the deterioration of the profitability of the Community industry", represented here by POETIC (Producers of Television in Cooperation). Consequently, to reflect changes in the exporters' pricing policy, it has been decided to change the anti-dumping duties on South Korea and Malaysia, which are now between 15% and 25.1%, while duties on China and Thailand are being kept at the current level (44.6% and 29.8%). Reduced or even zero duties are being levied on various companies, such as seven Chinese companies that have made a joint commitment, together with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Electronic Products (CCCME).