In a note sent to the European Commission on September 22, Assofermet, the Italian national association of companies involved in the trade, distribution, and processing of steel, metals, scrap, and hardware, once again expressed its “strong disappointment and concern” regarding the decision to launch a new antidumping proceeding (AD739) on cold rolled flat steel products from India, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam.
Considering that these products account for about two-thirds of imports into the EU, the association believes that a more accurate assessment of the effects that such measures would have on European steel production and related sectors is necessary. In fact, these measures, it said, would further reduce the importable quantities of materials that the European industry struggles to guarantee in terms of quality and size.
To the critical dynamics already reported by SteelOrbis, Assofermet added that the current general configuration of trade defense measures (antidumping, anti-subsidy, safeguard, and CBAM) increasingly restricts access to raw materials, which “significantly reduces the competitiveness of the EU manufacturing industry in international markets, with structurally negative impacts in both economic and employment terms."
The note concluded with a request for exclusion from any measures of volumes already purchased with shipment by the end of 2025.