Commercial Information Circulars
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Ref : EIC 230/2/3/2/13
25 April 2012
Dear Sirs,
Commercial Information Circular No. 302/2012
European Union (EU)* : Initiation of an Expiry Review of the Anti-dumping Measures on Imports of Ironing Boards Originating in, inter alia, the Mainland of China
Further to the Commercial Information Circular No. 370/2011 of 28 June 2011, the European Commission (the Commission) has published a notice to initiate an expiry review of the anti-dumping measures imposed on imports of ironing boards originating in, inter alia, the Mainland of China. The notice can be accessed through the following link :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2012:120:0009:0018:EN:PDF.
DETAILS
Ground for the Review
2.The expiry review is initiated at the request lodged on 25 January 2012 by three Union producers ('the applicant') representing a major proportion, in this case more than 25%, of the Union production of ironing boards. According to the Commission, the request contains evidence that the expiry of the measures would be likely to result in a continuation of dumping and injury to the Union industry. In particular, the prima facie evidence provided by the applicant shows that the volumes and the prices of the imported product under review have continued, among other consequences, to have a negative impact on the level of prices charged, resulting in substantial adverse effects on the financial situation of the Union industry.
Review Procedures
3.Salient points of the expiry review are set out below-
| (a) Date of Publication of the Notice of Initiation | : | 25 April 2012 |
| (b) Product Coverage | : | Ironing boards, whether or not free-standing, with or without a steam soaking and/or heating top and/or blowing top, including sleeve boards, and essential parts thereof, i.e. the legs, the top and the iron rest, falling within CN codes ex 3924 90 00, ex 4421 90 98, ex 7323 93 00, ex 7323 99 00, ex 8516 79 70 and ex 8516 90 00. |
| (c) Procedures | : |
In view of the potentially large number of exporting producers involved in the proceeding, the Commission may apply sampling. To enable the Commission to decide whether sampling is necessary and, if so, to select a sample, all exporting producers, or representatives acting on their behalf should provide information requested in Annex A to the notice in question, including contact details, turnover and sales volume, activities of their company/related companies, and indication of agreement to possible inclusion in the sample which implies replying to a questionnaire and accepting a visit at their premises to verify their responses. Such information should reach the Commission within 15 days from 25 April 2012, unless otherwise specified. All interested parties wishing to submit any other relevant information regarding the selection of the sample must do so within 21 days from 25 April 2012, unless otherwise specified. If a sample is necessary, the exporting producers may be selected based on the largest representative volume of exports to the Union which can reasonably be investigated within the time available. All known exporting producers, the authorities of the Mainland of China and associations of exporting producers will be notified, via the authorities of the Mainland of China if considered appropriate, of the companies selected to be in the sample. All exporting producers selected to be in the sample must submit a completed questionnaire within 37 days from the date of notification of the sample selection, unless otherwise specified. In the previous investigations Turkey, Ukraine and the EU were used as appropriate market economy third countries for the purpose of establishing normal value in respect of the Mainland of China. The Commission provisionally envisages using Ukraine for the purposes of the current investigation. Interested parties are invited to comment on the appropriateness of this choice within 10 days from 25 April 2012. All interested parties may make their views known, submit information and provide supporting evidence within 37 days from 25 April 2012, unless otherwise specified. All interested parties may request to be heard by the Commission investigation services. Request to be heard should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. For hearings on issues pertaining to the initial stage of the investigation, the request must be submitted within 15 days from 25 April 2012. Thereafter, a request to be heard should be submitted within the specific deadlines set by the Commission in its communication with the parties. Interested parties should make all submissions and requests in electronic format (non-confidential submissions via e-mail, confidential ones on CD-R/DVD), and must indicate the name, address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers of the interested party. However, any powers of attorney, signed certifications, and any updates thereof, accompanying questionnaire replies shall be submitted on paper, i.e. by post or by hand, at the address below. If an interested party cannot provide its submissions and requests in electronic format, it must immediately contact the Commission. For further information concerning correspondence with the Commission, interested parties may consult the relevant web page on the website of Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade): http://ec.europa.eu/trade/tackling-unfair-trade/trade-defence/. Commission address for correspondence:
European Commission (to be used by exporting producers, related importers, associations and representatives of the Mainland of China, producers in the market economy third country)
Interested parties may request the intervention of the Hearing Officer of DG Trade, who acts as an interface between the interested parties and the Commission investigation services through reviewing requests for access to the file, disputes regarding the confidentiality of documents, requests for extension of time limits, and requests by third parties to be heard. A request for a hearing with the Hearing Officer should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. For hearings on issues pertaining to the initial stage of investigation, the request must be submitted within 15 days from 25 April 2012. Thereafter, a request to be heard must be submitted within specific deadlines set by the Commission in its communication with the parties. For further information and contact details, interested parties may consult the Hearing Officer's web pages on the website of DG Trade (http://ec.europa.eu/trade/tackling-unfair-trade/hearing-officer/ |
| (d) Investigation Schedule | : | Investigation will be concluded within 15 months from 25 April 2012. |
BACKGROUND
4.Definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of ironing boards originating in, inter alia, the Mainland of China has been imposed since 27 April 2007. The current rate of duty is 42.3% of the net, free-at-Union-frontier price before duty (except for five companies with individual duty rates ranging from 18.1% to 39.6%.) Besides, as a consequence of a judgment of the General Court of the EU of 8 November 2011, imports of ironing boards manufactured by one company, namely, Zhejiang Harmonic Hardware Products Co. Ltd. ('Harmonic') are no longer subject to the anti-dumping measures imposed. For details, please refer to the Commercial Information Circulars Nos. 144/2010 of 31 March 2010, 601/2010 of 22 December 2010 and 172/2012 of 2 March 2012.
ENQUIRIES
5.For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684
Yours faithfully,
(Ms Wendy LAU)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry
* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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