NEWS
Commission proposes modernisation of trade
defence instruments The European Commission has published a detailed proposal aimed at updating the EU’s trade defence instruments – the rules for dealing with alleged unfair competition from dumped and subsidised imports.
T
he proposed changes follow eighteen months ‘reflection’ and a public consultation. The Commission says they would make the EU trade defence work better for all stakeholders, including both EU producers and
importers. “Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy instruments will be more efficient and better enforced to shield EU producers from unfair practices of foreign firms and from any risk of retaliation. At the same time, importers will enjoy greater predictability in terms of changing duty rates, which will make their business planning easier. The entire system will become more transparent and user-friendly.” “This is a balanced package with real improvements for all
stakeholders affected by trade defence duties – producers, importers and users,” said EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht. “We want to equip EU businesses better to tackle unfair trade practices abroad, while not negatively affecting EU consumers or companies that rely on imports.” According to the legislative proposal the Commission will:
• Improve the predictability for businesses by informing them about any provisional anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures two weeks before the duties are imposed.
• Offer importers reimbursement of duties collected during an expiry review if it concludes that there is no need to maintain the trade defence measures in place after five years.
• Protect the EU industry by initiating investigations on its own (“ex officio”), without an official request from industry, when a threat of retaliation exists.
• Discourage other trading partners from engaging in certain unfair trading practices by imposing higher duties on imports from countries which use unfair subsidies and create structural distortions in their raw material markets.
• Facilitate cooperation with firms and trade associations involved in investigations by extending certain deadlines during the investigations.
• Improve monitoring of trade flows.
• Allow ex-officio anti-circumvention investigations to ensure faster action against illegal evasion of measures.
In parallel, a DG Trade working paper sets out ‘draft guidelines’ in four particularly complex areas:
• The expiry review of a trade defence measure, which is an investigation at the end of the usual five-year application of duties to determine if dumping and injury are likely to continue or recur if measures expire.
• ‘The Union interest test’, i.e. the way the Commission determines whether a trade defence measure would serve the overall economic interests in the EU – including interests of the domestic industry concerned, importers, industries that use the imported product and, where relevant, consumers.
• Calculation of ‘injury margin’, which requires an examination of the volume and prices of dumped imports and their consequent impact on the EU industry.
• Choice of an ‘analogue country’, which is used to determine existence of dumping for products coming from a country without ‘market economy status’.
The draft procedural guidelines will be subject to a three month public consultation ending 31st
July 2013. Afterwards, the
Commission says it will analyse received comments and adopt the final version to make it easier for EU companies and the general public to understand EU trade defence procedures. For further information and links to the legislative draft go to
http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=885
Bossard Q1 sales up 22.8%
on KVT contribution Bossard Group announced 2013 Q1 sales at CHF 156.1 million up 22.8% in CHF on the same period 2012.
L 10
ike for like (i.e. stripping out the KVT acquisition and Bossard Metrics Inc divestment) sales fell 0.9% in CHF and 1.7% in local currencies. European turnover was below 2012 Q1 sales but European demand revived giving improved turnover levels compared with H1 2012. Asia and Americas both achieved growth. KVT provided a major boost to European sales, which grew 40.6%. The underlying trend was a 5.8% YoY
decline, which KVT sales paralleled. The Group says strong growth was only being achieved in eastern Europe. Upbeat about overall Group prospects CEO, David Dean, said: “The greatest uncertainty for the rest of the year remains the trend in European economic activity, which continues to lack a solid foundation.”
Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 81 May 2013
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