The EU confirmed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of hot rolled coil from Brazil, Iran, Russia and Ukraine, while exempting Serbia, according to a statement Friday.
The measure is in line with the figures S&P Global Platts reported last week, with the average duty calculated at Eur56.70/mt; Severstal received the lowest at Eur17.60/mt and MMK the highest at Eur96.50/mt.
The measure take the form of a fixed duty per metric ton added on to the CFR price once the material arrives in Europe.
This system replaced the originally considered minimum import price, which the European Commission provisionally calculated to be Eur472.27/mt CFR. The MIP had met with criticism from all sides.
"During the appeal committee, different possible amendments were discussed," the document published in the EU's Official Journal said Friday. "The chair of the appeal committee concluded that an amendment regarding the form of the measure, changing it from ad valorem duties capped by a MIP to duties to be expressed as a fixed amount per tonne, commanded the broadest possible support within the appeal committee."
The EU argued that a company-specific fixed amount per ton more accurately reflected the injury caused by each producer and ensures the duty removes injury entirely.
Russian producer NLMK received a duty of Eur53.50/mt, but in a statement sent to Platts it said the case would help its European operation, which rolls coils from slabs sourced from the parent company.
"The introduced measure will strengthen the position of NLMK's European mills producing and selling in local markets hot rolled coil because at the moment the mills remain underutilized," the company said. "Thus Belgium-based NLMK La Louviere made 770,000 mt of HRC in January-June this year, which annualizes to 1.5 million mt, while the plant's full capacity allows for 2.5 million mt/year output."
Severstal said it received a "strong competitive advantage over other suppliers" by getting the lowest duty.
Unlike in other recent trade cases, the duties will not be retroactively applied as provisional measures were not found, despite the Commission implementing registration for imports from Brazilian and Russian mills in January.
