EUROFER, the European confederation of iron and steel industries, has filed an antidumping complaint with the European Commission providing evidence that imports of organic coated steel from China are sold at dumped prices and cause significant injury to the EU steel industry.
"Over the past four years imports from China into the EU increased dramatically, despite the drop in EU consumption. As a result of this, the EU industry lost sales and market share, forcing it to cut back on production and to reduce capacity," stated Gordon Moffat, EUROFER's director general.
EUROFER states that the share of organic coated steel from China in the EU market has increased from 0.5 percent in 2004 to 15 percent over the last 12 months, with imports at their highest-ever levels in the second and third quarters of 2011. The imports were sold at prices significantly below prices of EU producers and prices from third countries, EUROFER claims.
The product covered by the complaint is organic coated steel, consisting of pre-painted steel sheet and plastic coated steel sheet, which are composite materials made up of a metallic substrate and an organic coating which adhere together firmly and complement each other in their properties.