European Commission imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of heavy steel plates from China

The Commission has decided to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of heavy steel plates from China.  The Commission’s investigation found Chinese companies to be heavily dumping their products on the EU market.  The investigation revealed dumping margins of between 120% and 127%. This unfair competition is causing material injury to the EU producers.  Most of the injury indicators clearly show a negative trend, in particular profitability and return on investments. Chinese exports of heavy steel plates will therefore be taxed with anti-dumping duties ranging from 65% to 73%. The duties are the same as those imposed provisionally in October and are at the level of the injury margin, based on the lesser duty rule. The Commission has responded forcefully and quickly to unfair competition, while at the same time ensuring that the rights of all interested parties have been protected.  The definitive measures announced today will help protect EU steel producers from the damaging effects of Chinese dumping. The Commission opened its investigation in February 2016. In line with the EU’s ‘Steel Communication’ of March 2016, the Commission has managed to impose both provisional and definitive measures well ahead of the usual legal deadlines. The EU currently has an unprecedented number of trade defence measures in place targeting unfair imports of steel products, with a total of 41 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, 18 of which are on products coming from China.