EU starts expiry review on anti-subsidy measures on HR flat steel from China

The European Commission has initiated an expiry review of its anti-subsidy measures on hot-rolled flat steel products imported from China, it said on Wednesday June 8.The definitive anti-subsidy duties were imposed on June 8, 2017, and were scheduled to expire on June 9, 2022.

The Commission settled definitive anti-subsidy duties at 4.60% for Zhangjiagang Hongchang Plate and Zhangjiagang GTA Plate; at 7.80% for Handan Iron & Steel Group Han-Bao, Hesteel Tangshan and Hesteel Chengde; at 28.10% for Bengang Steel Plates; and at 31.50% for Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel and Beijing Shougang Qian’an Iron & Steel.

The duties were set at 17.10% for other co-operating companies and at 35.90% for all other companies.

The Commission started the expiry review at the request of regional steel association Eurofer, submitted to the Commission on March 9 this year on behalf of the EU hot-rolled flat steel industry, a notice in the EU Official Journal said.

The investigation will be conducted within the next 12-15 months to determine whether the expiry of the measures would lead to a continuation or recurrence of trade subsidies, or injury to the European steel industry.

The Official Journal said that, if the measures were allowed to lapse, the import volumes of such products from China were likely to increase because there was substantial unused capacity in the East Asian country.

It added that the EU market was attractive in terms of size and prices, because the export prices for hot-rolled flat steel from China undercut the prices available from within the EU.

It was therefore considered likely that a continuation or recurrence of trade subsidies on such products would result in injury to the EU sector should the anti-subsidy measures be removed, Fastmarkets understood.

The Commission invited all interested parties to make their views known within the next 15 days.

The products concerned fall under CN codes 7208 10 00, 7208 25 00, 7208 26 00, 7208 27 00, 7208 36 00, 7208 37 00, 7208 38 00, 7208 39 00, 7208 40 00, 7208 52 10, 7208 52 99, 7208 53 10, 7208 53 90, 7208 54 00, 7211 13 00, 7211 14 00, 7211 19 00, ex 7225 19 10, 7225 30 90, ex 7225 40 60, 7225 40 90, ex 7226 19 10, 7226 91 91 and 7226 91 99.

Published by: Julia Bolotova