The European Parquet Federation (FEP) welcomes the imposition of definitive Anti-Dumping duties against unfair and dumped imports of multilayer parquet from China, following the conclusion of a thorough Investigation by the European Commission (EC).
The definitive Anti-Dumping duties imposed range from 21.3% to 36.1%, and will remain in place for at least the next five years. They result from a Complaint lodged by FEP on behalf of major EU producers from most EU Member States where parquet is produced. The imposition of duties is a much-necessary step to level the playing field in the EU market given the unfairly low prices of Chinese parquet imports, which are only possible through significant overcapacities and structural distortions which were found to exist in the Chinese market.
At the same time, the duties have been imposed with retroactive effect, as the EC’s Investigation revealed that there was a substantial increase in import volumes following the initiation of the Investigation. Specifically, the EC found that parquet from China was imported at significantly higher quantities and lower prices before provisional duties entered into force. This decision is also welcome by FEP, which remedies the significant stockpiling of unfair Chinese imports that resulted in additional unfair economic damage to the EU parquet industry as the Investigation was running its course.
FEP and the EU parquet industry will also remain vigilant of any future trends that may suggest attempts to circumvent or absorb the duties. In connection, the EC introduced a special monitoring clause to minimise circumvention risks which will allow a more granular analysis of such risks and will act against circumvention attempts. In particular, the EC will be regularly monitoring imports of parquet from all third countries to minimise risks of transshipment and identify early signs of changes of the pattern of trade without economic justification. It will also monitor imports of other similar products such as blockboards as the Investigation has revealed that Chinese manufacturers often misclassify parquet when exporting it to the EU.
FEP Managing Director, Isabelle Brose, further comments on the EC’s findings: “The imposition of definitive Anti-Dumping duties will provide much-necessary relief to the European parquet industry which has been hit by extremely unfair practices by Chinese exports. FEP is confident that these duties will help to restore a level-playing field in the EU market going forward but also retroactively, as correctly determined by the European Commission. The new monitoring clause is a positive step also as it is expected to work effectively against any attempts to circumvent the duties through misclassification and/or shipment through other countries”.
FEP - European Parquet Federation
Email: info@parquet.net
Adres: SQ Europe - Square de Meeûs, 35 - BE-1000 Brussels
Website: https://www.parquet.net/
