Brussels, 13/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Union has criticised the methodology known as "reduction to zero", which the United States continue to use to quantify dumping and set the level for remedial duty. The EU had to abandon this practice itself follwing its condemnation over the Indian bed linen affair (see EUROPE of 18 January and of 11 March 2003, page 12). "We have asked the United States several times to do the same, so that we are all on the same footing, (but they) refused, and to our great regret, we have no choice but to bring the matter to the WTO", declared Commissioner Pascal Lamy on Friday, announcing that the request for consultations- the irreversible first step towards setting up an arbitration panel- had just been filed in Geneva. "We hope that we will be able to sort all of this out under the consultations", indicated a source in Brussels. Hundreds of millions of dollars of European exports are affected, and "the adverse economic impact is considerable" for these products, mainly steel, it was noted.