EU imposes steel dumping tariffs on China
7 Oct 2016
The European Commission has moved to impose provisional anti-dumping tariffs on imports of hot-rolled steel and heavy plates from China.
The tariffs range from between 65.1% and 73.7% for heavy plates and 13.2% and 22.6% for hot-rolled steel.
Steel producers in the UK have experienced first-hand what happens when trade is not free and fair
Dominic King, head of policy and external affairs at UK Steel
According to a statement on the Commission’s website, it will decide within the coming six months whether to reconfirm these measures for the period of the coming few years.
At that moment, the Commission could also decide whether to retroactively collect the duties on heavy steel plates imported from China between August and October 2016, it said.
In response to today’s announcement, industry trade body UK Steel welcomed the speed at which tariffs have been imposed on dumped steel from China by the European Union (EU).
“However, while we hope the tariffs for heavy plate are robust enough to ensure free and fair trade, the proposed levels for hot-rolled steel are not high enough, which might encourage China to continue dumping it on to the EU market,” said Dominic King, head of policy and external affairs at UK Steel.
“Steel producers in the UK have experienced first-hand what happens when trade is not free and fair. As the UK prepares to leave the EU, the Government needs to ensure that we develop robust trade defences that will create a level playing field ensuring free and fair trade and not distorted competition,” King added.
