Namık Ekinci at IREPAS: Non-tariff trade barriers undermine steel trade

Speaking at the SteelOrbis 2014 Spring Conference & 70th IREPAS Meeting in Barcelona, Namık Ekinci, chairman of the Turkish Steel Exporters' Association, stated that the antidumping duty investigation launched by the US against Turkish rebar imports is not really aimed at winning the case but rather at providing support for US domestic prices. Mr. Ekinci said that the hindering of Turkish imports not only affects producers but also the other actors taking part in import operations from ports to logistics companies.
 
Criticizing non-tariff trade barriers, Ekinci said that, in terms of imports coming into a country, it is usual to expect the quality certificate from the importer, but  the difficulties, high costs and unreasonable practices involved in obtaining these certificates are undermining free trade.
 
Another example of the hampering of free trade, according to Mr. Ekinci, is the discussions regarding limiting scrap exports in the EU, while he went on to recall that a similar limitation had previously been implemented in the US, though with the result that scrap prices doubled instead of decreasing as expected.