European Aluminium has expressed its support towards the European Commission’s final confirmation of the definitive anti-dumping duties, whilst also announcing its strong opposition against the 9-month suspension of these duties. European Aluminium has stated it is ready to pursue all available avenues to fight the unjustified suspension of the long-overdue trade defence measures.

The European Commission’s Definitive Findings (ECDF) in the anti-dumping investigation into certain aluminium flat-rolled products (FRP, case AD668) found that the impact of Chinese dumping of flat-rolled products (FRPs) on the EU market causes significant material injury to EU producers. Definitive anti-dumping duties have been set at 14% to 25% to raise China’s dumped prices to market-conform prices. However, the duties, which were green lighted by the EU Member States and set to be implemented on 12 October 2021, are now suspended for 9 months.

Setting a dangerous precedent for trade defence cases in other sectors, the suspension sends the wrong signal to both international trade partners and China regarding the EU’s commitment to fighting unfair trade practices.

European Aluminium’s Director General Gerd Götz commented;

“The definitive anti-dumping duties set by the Commission are justified, balanced and long-overdue. China has been dumping underpriced and high-carbon aluminium on our market for many years, jeopardising the viability of our industry in the long run while compromising the EU’s Green Deal ambitions. The decision to suspend the definitive duties is illogical and goes against the assertive trade defence policy announced by the Commission. We urge the European Commission to annul the duty suspension and effectively leverage its trade defence tools to level the playing field for European aluminium producers,”

Gerd Götz, Director General of European Aluminium

The suspension, according to European Aluminium, will have a devastating impact on the EU aluminium value chain, even beyond the suspension period. The association states that tens of thousands of EU jobs and EU investments into decarbonisation and recycling are at risk. Besides the long-term economic blow, European Aluminium claims it will also conflict agains the EU’s low carbon sustainable focus, as the aluminium supplied by China has a higher carbon content.

Götz concluded,

“The suspension is the result of an inadequate, rushed 30-day investigation and contradicts the findings of the European Commission’s initial anti-dumping investigation, which confirmed the existence of material injury. We cannot accept that the EU will allow the proven injury to European aluminium producers to continue based on an unjustified suspension, so we are exploring all available options to fight it,”

Gerd Götz, Director General of European Aluminium

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