European pipe producers support anti-dumping investigation into imports from China

The European Steel Tube Association (ESTA) has welcomed the EC’s anti-dumping investigation into imports of certain round seamless pipes from China. This is an important case dossier for the European industry, Kallanish reports.

«Cheap Chinese imports to Europe have flooded the market for two years, causing significant damage to European manufacturers, who have seen several plants close in recent years, particularly in Germany – Eschweiler, Max Huette, Vallourec Mülheim and Vallourec Rath,» the association’s representative said.

According to him, the share of Chinese imports of seamless pipes in the European market increased from 3.8% in 2021 to 7% in 2022, and last year reached 12.6%, despite the fact that there are already anti-dumping measures against imports of seamless stainless steel pipes and seamless pipes with a diameter of more than 406.4 mm from China.

One of the key problems in the association is the European bureaucracy – according to industry representatives, the investigation should last several months, not two years.

As of now, ESTA’s representative noted, the investigation will take a maximum of 14 months. The final measures should be published by July 2025, and temporary measures can be applied seven months after the start of the investigation, in December 2024.

If the Commission decides to apply the import registration requested by ESTA in its complaint, the retroactive measures may be applied four months after the complaint is filed, in September 2024.

The news of the investigation should already deter certain imports, the industry association representative said.

As GMK Center reported earlier, the European Commission has announced the launch of an anti-dumping investigation into imports of certain seamless pipes from China. The investigation will cover the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, and will last up to 14 months, with the possibility of imposing temporary duties for seven to eight months. The investigation was initiated following a complaint filed by ESTA on April 2, 2024. It alleged that imports of the products concerned had increased significantly, thereby causing material injury to the industry of the bloc.