The European Commission has launched an antidumping investigation into imports of low-carbon ferrochrome originating in China, Russia and Turkey.
The move follows a complaint lodged May 10 by the association of European ferroalloy producers, Euroalliages, on behalf of the sole European Union producer of low-carbon ferrochrome, Germany's Elektrowerk Weisweiler.
The complainant "has provided evidence that imports of the product under investigation from the countries concerned have increased overall in absolute terms and in terms of market share," the EC said.
The evidence provided by the complainant shows that the volume and the prices of the imported product under investigation -- ferrochrome, containing by weight more than 0.05% but not more than 0.5% of carbon -- "have had, among other consequences, a negative impact on the quantities sold, the level of prices charged and the market share held by the Union industry, resulting in substantial adverse effects on the overall performance of the Union industry," it added.
The EC said it determined that there is sufficient evidence to justify the launch of an investigation to determine whether the product originating in the countries concerned is being dumped and whether the dumped imports have caused injury to the EU industry.
The investigation of dumping and injury will cover the period from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, while the examination of trends relevant for the assessment of injury will cover the period from January 1, 2014, to the end of the investigation period.
The investigation will be concluded within 15 months of June 23 publication of the announcement in the EU Official Journal; provisional antidumping measures may be imposed no later than nine months from the publication date.
