The EU imposed anti-dumping duties starting yesterday on imports of cold-rolled stainless steel from Taiwan, Indonesia and China, a move that domestic steel manufacturers said could hurt the local industry.
European countries would levy anti-dumping tariffs of 6 to 7.5 percent on imports from Taiwan, 17 percent on imports from Indonesia and 14.5 to 18.9 percent on imports from China, the European Commission said on Wednesday, adding that the punitive measures would be in force for six months and extendable to five years.
The move came after a commission investigation initiated last year found that imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheets and coils from Taiwan, Indonesia and China were being exported at a lower price than in their home markets, to the detriment of European producers.
The Taiwan Steel and Iron Industries Association said that domestic steel products are subject to the lowest tariffs, proving that there is only a small difference between product prices in Taiwan and Europe.
However, Europe and the US import the most steel from Taiwan, so the EU’s anti-dumping measures could have a significant negative effect on the local industry, the association added.
Anti-dumping rates of more than 50 percent have been slapped on steel products from China over the past few years, but only 18.9 percent has been imposed this year — not significantly different from the tariffs on products from Taiwan, the association said, adding that it expects that local producers would have a difficult time keeping China from grabbing part of their share of the European market.
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