Ezz Steel to challenge Europe’s anti-dumping duties on flat steel imports
Other countries affected by the anti-dumping duties would include Japan and Vietnam.
In June 2024, the European Commission initiated an anti-dumping investigation into hot-rolled flat steel imports from Egypt, Vietnam, Japan and India following a complaint by regional steel association Eurofer.
On Monday March 17, the Commission released a preliminary decision that imports of hot-rolled flat steel product imports from Egypt, Vietnam and Japan would become subject to provisional duties of 6.9-33%.
India was exempted from the measure after the investigation found that no dumping or unfair exports to Europe had taken place during the period under investigation, which was from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.
The products that will be affected, according to the announcement, included certain flat-rolled products of iron, non-alloy steel, and other alloy steel with the provisional tariffs coming into effect starting April 7, Fastmarkets heard.
Proposed duties
The Commission’s finding meant that Egypt would become subject to a 15.6% tariff, while Vietnamese producer Formosa Ha Tinh would become subject to a 12.1% tariff and Japan-origin material would be subject to rates of 6.9-33% depending on the producer.
Ezz Steel is a major exporter of hot-rolled flat steel products into Europe and intended to launch an appeal regarding the provisional duties, with a delegation from Egypt’s Ministry of Investment expected to meet EU representatives to discuss the proposal, Fastmarkets has heard.
Steel producers in the various countries affected by the provisional duties will have a three-week window, until April 4, in which to submit objections.
Effect on Ezz Steel
Ezz Steel is by far the largest Egyptian exporter of HRC to Europe, and will be severely affected should the tariffs come into effect, making it unfeasible to continue to do business, Fastmarkets heard.
“It is one of [the company’s] main markets,” one market participant said. “It will be severely affected and will have lots of reasons to challenge this outcome. The market is very big for [the company], with exports to Europe making up 60-70% of its total exports.”
“Losing this market would be disastrous for [Ezz Steel] so announcing that it will challenge the outcome will help to put pressure on the European Commission and also help to reassure its customers in Europe,” the source added.
Outlook
If the proposed duties were to be imposed, flat-steel product trade flows from Vietnam, Japan and Egypt to Europe would be significantly limited, Fastmarkets heard.
The final decision on any permanent anti-dumping measures will be announced on October 7, Fastmarkets heard.
Ezz Steel did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Published by: India-Inés Levy
EU Proposes Provisional Duties on HRC Imports from Japan, Egypt, and Vietnam – India Exempted
The anti-dumping investigation was started after the European steel association Eurofer lodged a complaint last June on behalf of European producers, alleging that HRC imports from four countries — India, Japan, Egypt and Vietnam — are being dumped and have been causing material injury to the European steel industry, Fastmarkets reported.
The pre-disclosure document, revealing proposed provisional duties for each origin, was made available on March 14. Provisional duties are set to be imposed as of April 7.
The AD probe is expected to be conducted by early October, with definitive measures to follow.
In the meantime, the highest duties were proposed for Japanese suppliers: 32% for JFE Steel Corporation and Daido Steel Co., Ltd, and 33% for Nippon Steel Corporation and all other companies — apart from Tokyo Steel, which got a relatively low duty of 6.9%.
For Egypt, the provisional duty rate for Ezz Steel and all other companies was set at 15.6%.
For Vietnam, provisional duties were set at 12.1% for Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation and all other companies apart from Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel Joint Company — no duty was proposed on its imports.
And, surprisingly, no provisional duties were suggested for Indian companies.
These four countries altogether supplied 3.9 million tonnes of HRC to the EU in 2024, accounting for 41.2% of total HRC imports to the bloc, Global Trade Tracker stats showed.
Market sources had split views on the potential market effect.
Notably, several sources suggested that safeguard caps, in combination with the duties, will limit imports to the EU, making overseas bookings increasingly risky for EU buyers.
Adjustments to steel safeguard measures were made available on Tuesday March 11.
For HRC, the cap per country over the tariff rate quota (TRQ) volume initially available in each quarter has been reduced from 15%, originally proposed in July, to 13%.
On top of that, quarterly quota allocations have also been reduced. For example, for India, which has an individual quarterly quota, the allocation for April-June 2025 was cut by 24.6%. And for “other countries” — under which Egypt, Vietnam and Japan fall — the allocation was cut by 8.4%.
“It’s like gambling these days; when you book HRC from overseas mills, you don’t know how much it’s going to cost you in the end,” one buyer said.
Other sources said that the effect will be limited for some origins because, for example, Vietnamese material “will be manageable even with a duty, just like Turkish HRC is now,” a trader in Italy said.
Fastmarkets’ weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, import, cfr main port Northern Europe was €560-580 per tonne on March 14, stable week on week.
Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at €636.19 per tonne on March 14, up by €0.10 per tonne from €636.09 per tonne on March 13.
The Northern European index was up by €5.25 per tonne week on week and by €32.86 per tonne month on month.
EU proposes provisional HRC AD on three countries
The European Commission has proposed provisional anti-dumping duties on hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports on certain countries, according to letter of pre-disclosure of preliminary findings dated 14 March, seen by Kallanish.
The letter states that the summary of duties is for informational purposes only and does not prejudge the Commission’s final decision.
Interested parties are given three working days to submit comments on the pre-disclosure findings.
India proposed not to impose any duties, while Egypt could face a duty of 15.6% including producer Ezz Steel Company.
Japan’s Nippon Steel Corporation and all other companies could be subject to a 33% duty, and Daido Steel and JFE Steel Corporation are both set at 32%, while Tokyo Steel faces a lower duty of 6.9%.
Vietnam’s Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation and all other companies are facing to a 12.1% duty. However, Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel Joint Company may be exempt from the duties.
“These are proposed duties. When finally published, we will understand if Hoa Phat gets zero and if they are retroactive,” a market participant commented.
The provisional duties apply once agreed to flat-rolled products of iron, non-alloy steel, or other alloy steel, whether or not in coils, including cut-to-length and narrow strip products, not further worked than hot-rolled, not clad, plated, or coated, originating in Egypt, Japan, and Vietnam.
These products are currently classified 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 (TARIC code 7225 19 10 90), 7225 30 90, ex 7225 40 60 (TARIC code 7225 40 60 90), 7225 40 90, ex 7226 19 10 (TARIC codes 7226 19 10 91, 7226 19 10 95), 7226 91 91, and 7226 91 99.
| Country | Company | Provisional anti- dumping duty (%) |
| Egypt | Ezz Steel Company | 15.6 |
| Egypt | All other companies | 15.6 |
| India | All companies | n/a |
| Japan | Nippon Steel Corporation | 33.0 |
| Japan | Tokyo Steel | 6.9 |
| Japan | Daido Steel | 32.0 |
| Japan | JFE Steel Corporation | 32.0 |
| Japan | All other companies | 33.0 |
| Vietnam | Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation | 12.1 |
| Vietnam | All other companies* | 12.1 |
* It is proposed not to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on imports from Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel Joint Company.
Elina Virchenko Turkey , Anna Low Singapore
EU Commission proposes provisional AD duties on HRC imports from Egypt, Japan, Vietnam
The European Commission said in a March 14 statement that it proposed to apply provisional antidumping duties ranging from 6.9% to 33% on its imports of flat hot-rolled coil steel products from Egypt, Japan and Vietnam.
In view of comparable dumping margins revealed by the AD investigation into the respective imports, the Commission proposes 12.1% and 15.6% duties for HRC originating, respectively, in Vietnam and Egypt.
The duties suggested for Japanese coils are significantly steeper except for Tokyo Steel, which faces 6.9%, but Daido Steel and JFE Steel Corp. are challenged with 32% and all the rest, including Nippon Steel, with 33% AD charges to be levied on their HRC sales to the EU.
HRC imports from India are part of the same investigation too, but no dumping margin has been identified so far, following the EU statement.
The proposed duties will not apply to stainless and grain-oriented silicon electrical steel, and tool and high-speed steel strip, as well as sheets in thicknesses exceeding 10mn and widths of 600mm or more.
