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Parliamentary question - E-006949/2016Parliamentary question
E-006949/2016

Exemption of anti-dumping duties on seamless pipe imports produced by Hubei Xinyegang Steel Co. Ltd

Question for written answer E-006949-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Alessia Maria Mosca (S&D) , Salvatore Cicu (PPE) , David-Maria Sassoli (S&D) , Antonio Tajani (PPE)

In June 2016 the Commission informed customs authorities and Member States that it had created a new TARIC code providing that duties on imports of seamless pipes and tubes produced by Hubei Xinyegang Steel Co. Ltd would amount to 0% instead of the 27.2% previously in place since 2009 and renewed in 2015 for a five-year period.

This decision was taken following the verdict by the European Court of Justice in April 2016 that confirmed the annulment of the 2009 duties as decided by the General Court in January 2014.

With the new TARIC code in place, the Commission, without consulting industry and the Member States, and — more importantly — contrary to the established case-law of the European Court of Justice, effectively abolishes both the 2009 duties and the 2015 duties. This will have dramatic consequences for European seamless pipes and tubes producers.

As a matter of fact, the dispute before the European courts only concerned the 2009 duties and so the implementation of this judgment does not permit its effect to be extended by repealing the 2015 duties for all Chinese seamless pipes and tubes imports.

In light of the above:

Can the Commission explain why it has annulled the 2015 duties when the judgment only concerned the 2009 duties?