The European Commission (EC) has issued today, March 26, via publication in the Official Journal of the European Union a notice of initiation of a safeguard investigation concerning imports of steel products, due to the fact that "imports of certain steel products have recently increased sharply, showing that there is sufficient evidence that these trends in imports appear to call for safeguards measures".
"The information currently available to the Commission indicates that total imports of the products concerned increased from 17.8 million metric tons to 29.3 million metric tons in the 2013-17 period. Imports of the products concerned increased by around 65 percent between 2013 and 2016. The main increases took place in 2015 and especially in 2016, when they reached 28.6 million metric tons. Imports of the products concerned have remained at a significant level thereafter," reads the document.
"The investigation will determine whether, as a result of unforeseen developments, the products concerned are being imported into the Union in such greatly increased quantities and/or on such terms or conditions as to cause, or threaten to cause, serious injury to the Union producers of like or directly competing products," the notic continued.
"In order to obtain the information it deems necessary for its investigation, the Commission will send questionnaires to the known producers of the like or directly competing products and to any known associations of producers, in the Union. The completed questionnaires must reach the Commission within 21 days from the date on which they are sent," the EC stated.
If the Commission determines that measures are necessary, the Commission shall take the necessary decisions, no later than nine months from the date of initiation, unless exceptional circumstances exist, in which case that time limit may be extended by a maximum period of two months.
The products concerned by the safeguard investigation are as follows:
|
Product number |
Product category |
CN Codes |
|
1 |
Non Alloy and Other Alloy Hot Rolled Sheets and Strips |
7208 10 00 , 7208 25 00 , 7208 26 00 , 7208 27 00 , 7208 36 00 , 7208 37 00 , 7208 38 00 , 7208 39 00 , 7208 40 00 , 7208 52 99 , 7208 53 90 , 7208 54 00 , 7211 14 00 , 7211 19 00 , 7212 60 00 , 7225 19 10 , 7225 30 10 , 7225 30 30 , 7225 30 90 , 7225 40 15 , 7225 40 90 , 7226 19 10 , 7226 91 20 , 7226 91 91 , 7226 91 99 |
|
2 |
Non Alloy and Other Alloy Cold Rolled Sheets |
7209 15 00 , 7209 16 90 , 7209 17 90 , 7209 18 91 , 7209 25 00 , 7209 26 90 , 7209 27 90 , 7209 28 90 , 7209 90 20 , 7209 90 80 , 7211 23 20 , 7211 23 30 , 7211 23 80 , 7211 29 00 , 7211 90 20 , 7211 90 80 , 7225 50 20 , 7225 50 80 , 7226 20 00 , 7226 92 00 |
|
3 |
Electrical Sheets (other than GOES) |
7209 16 10 , 7209 17 10 , 7209 18 10 , 7209 26 10 , 7209 27 10 , 7209 28 10 , 7225 19 90 , 7226 19 80 |
|
4 |
Metallic Coated Sheets |
7210 20 00 , 7210 30 00 , 7210 41 00 , 7210 49 00 , 7210 61 00 , 7210 69 00 , 7210 90 80 , 7212 20 00 , 7212 30 00 , 7212 50 20 , 7212 50 30 , 7212 50 40 , 7212 50 61 , 7212 50 69 , 7212 50 90 , 7225 91 00 , 7225 92 00 , 7226 99 10 , 7226 99 30 , 7226 99 70 |
|
5 |
Organic Coated Sheets |
7210 70 80 , 7212 40 80 |
|
6 |
Tin Mill products |
7209 18 99 , 7210 11 00 , 7210 12 20 , 7210 12 80 , 7210 50 00 , 7210 70 10 , 7210 90 40 , 7212 10 10 , 7212 10 90 , 7212 40 20 |
|
7 |
Non Alloy and Other Alloy Quarto Plates |
7208 51 20 , 7208 51 91 , 7208 51 98 , 7208 52 91 , 7208 90 20 , 7208 90 80 , 7210 90 30 , 7225 40 12 , 7225 40 40 , 7225 40 60 , 7225 99 00 |
|
8 |
Stainless Hot Rolled Sheets and Strips |
7219 11 00 , 7219 12 10 , 7219 12 90 , 7219 13 10 , 7219 13 90 , 7219 14 10 , 7219 14 90 , 7219 22 10 , 7219 22 90 , 7219 23 00 , 7219 24 00 , 7220 11 00 , 7220 12 00 |
|
9 |
Stainless Cold Rolled Sheets and Strips |
7219 31 00 , 7219 32 10 , 7219 32 90 , 7219 33 10 , 7219 33 90 , 7219 34 10 , 7219 34 90 , 7219 35 10 , 7219 35 90 , 7219 90 20 , 7219 90 80 , 7220 20 21 , 7220 20 29 , 7220 20 41 , 7220 20 49 , 7220 20 81 , 7220 20 89 , 7220 90 20 , 7220 90 80 |
|
10 |
Stainless Hot Rolled Quarto Plates |
7219 21 10 , 7219 21 90 |
|
11 |
Grain-Oriented Electrical Sheet |
7225 11 00 , 7226 11 00 |
|
12 |
Non Alloy and Other Alloy Merchant Bars and Light Sections |
7214 30 00 , 7214 91 10 , 7214 91 90 , 7214 99 31 , 7214 99 39 , 7214 99 50 , 7214 99 71 , 7214 99 79 , 7214 99 95 , 7215 90 00 , 7216 10 00 , 7216 21 00 , 7216 22 00 , 7216 40 10 , 7216 40 90 , 7216 50 10 , 7216 50 91 , 7216 50 99 , 7216 99 00 , 7228 10 20 , 7228 20 10 , 7228 20 91 , 7228 30 20 , 7228 30 41 , 7228 30 49 , 7228 30 61 , 7228 30 69 , 7228 30 70 , 7228 30 89 , 7228 60 20 , 7228 60 80 , 7228 70 10 , 7228 70 90 , 7228 80 00 |
|
13 |
Rebars |
7214 20 00 , 7214 99 10 |
|
14 |
Stainless Bars and Light Sections |
7222 11 11 , 7222 11 19 , 7222 11 81 , 7222 11 89 , 7222 19 10 , 7222 19 90 , 7222 20 11 , 7222 20 19 , 7222 20 21 , 7222 20 29 , 7222 20 31 , 7222 20 39 , 7222 20 81 , 7222 20 89 , 7222 30 51 , 7222 30 91 , 7222 30 97 , 7222 40 10 , 7222 40 50 , 7222 40 90 |
|
15 |
Stainless Wire Rod |
7221 00 10 , 7221 00 90 |
|
16 |
Non Alloy and Other Alloy Wire Rod |
7213 10 00 , 7213 20 00 , 7213 91 10 , 7213 91 20 , 7213 91 41 , 7213 91 49 , 7213 91 70 , 7213 91 90 , 7213 99 10 , 7213 99 90 , 7227 10 00 , 7227 20 00 , 7227 90 10 , 7227 90 50 , 7227 90 95 |
|
17 |
Angles, Shapes and Sections of Iron or Non Alloy Steel |
7216 31 10 , 7216 31 90 , 7216 32 11 , 7216 32 19 , 7216 32 91 , 7216 32 99 , 7216 33 10 , 7216 33 90 |
|
18 |
Sheet Piling |
7301 10 00 |
|
19 |
Railway Material |
7302 10 22 , 7302 10 28 , 7302 10 40 , 7302 10 50 , 7302 40 00 |
|
20 |
Gas pipes |
7306 30 41 , 7306 30 49 , 7306 30 72 , 7306 30 77 |
|
21 |
Hollow sections |
7306 61 10 , 7306 61 92 , 7306 61 99 |
|
22 |
Seamless Stainless Tubes and Pipes |
7304 11 00 , 7304 22 00 , 7304 24 00 , 7304 41 00 , 7304 49 10 , 7304 49 93 , 7304 49 95 , 7304 49 99 |
|
23 |
Bearing Tubes and Pipes |
7304 51 12 , 7304 51 18 , 7304 59 32 , 7304 59 38 |
|
24 |
Other Seamless Tubes |
7304 19 10 , 7304 19 30 , 7304 19 90 , 7304 23 00 , 7304 29 10 , 7304 29 30 , 7304 29 90 , 7304 31 20 , 7304 31 80 , 7304 39 10 , 7304 39 52 , 7304 39 58 , 7304 39 92 , 7304 39 93 , 7304 39 98 , 7304 51 81 , 7304 51 89 , 7304 59 10 , 7304 59 92 , 7304 59 93 , 7304 59 99 , 7304 90 00 , |
|
25 |
Large welded tubes |
7305 11 00 , 7305 12 00 , 7305 19 00 , 7305 20 00 , 7305 31 00 , 7305 39 00 , 7305 90 00 |
|
26 |
Other Welded Pipes |
7306 11 10 , 7306 11 90 , 7306 19 10 , 7306 19 90 , 7306 21 00 , 7306 29 00 , 7306 30 11 , 7306 30 19 , 7306 30 80 , 7306 40 20 , 7306 40 80 , 7306 50 20 , 7306 50 80 , 7306 69 10 , 7306 69 90 , 7306 90 00 |