EU may suspend anti-dumping duties on imports of flat-rolled aluminum products from China

According to Platts, an EU official said on September 13 that there is no final decision on whether to suspend the final anti-dumping duty on flat-rolled aluminum products imported from China.

According to a previous article on World Aluminum Network, on August 14, 2020, the EU launched an anti-dumping investigation on flat-rolled aluminum products imported from China upon the application of the European Aluminum Association, and made a preliminary ruling on April 12, 2021, with the official gazette imposing a six-month interim anti-dumping duty on the companies involved from the following day, which means that the final ruling needs to be implemented by October 11.

However, a request for suspension of the measures was recently made by a stakeholder in light of the latest market developments. It is reported that the request is under consideration and the EU is seeking the views of member states.

The European Aluminium Association (EAA) issued a statement on September 10 objecting to this, as the initiative contradicts the Commission's trade and climate objectives. The European Aluminium Association released data saying that the carbon footprint level of primary aluminum production in Europe is one of the lowest in the world, with production of 1kg of aluminum emitting 7kg of CO2 and China producing 1kg of aluminum emitting 20kg of CO2.

The association argued in a statement that there is no risk of aluminum shortage in the EU market, but EU observers do not share this position. 13 September LME spot aluminum prices continue to maintain 13-year highs, once hitting $2,949 per ton in early trading. Production was restricted due to the implementation of pollution prevention and control in China, which in turn led to a decrease in aluminum exports.

According to data from the European Aluminium Association, EU imports of flat-rolled aluminum production from China increased from 100,000 tons in 2017 to more than 200,000 tons in 2019, capturing a 9% market share in three years. The association added that since the launch of the trade barriers, the production of imports from China has declined.

EU sources said that the temporary shortage of aluminum products supply in the EU market may slow down the EU recovery process.

It is reported that the aluminum products imported from China are used by downstream enterprises to equip electric vehicles, which plays a role in reaching the goal of the European Green Deal.

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