EU to Probe Possible Aluminum Foil Antidumping Duty Circumvention from China

LONDON, Oct. 23 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) - The European Commission said Tuesday it has launched a probe into imports of certain aluminum foil from China to the European Union to see whether anti-dumping duties are being circumvented.

The commission is concerned that China is exporting aluminum foil in large rolls that are then repackaged into smaller rolls in the E.U., thereby circumventing the anti-dumping duty of 6.4% to 30% imposed on such products from China since 2009.

The aluminum foil under investigation is the same product but isn't annealed and has a width exceeding 650 millimeters. The complaint was lodged on Sept. 24 by Symetal SA, Eurofoil Luxembourg SA, Alcomet and Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products GmbH, a unit of Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY.OS), four EU aluminum foil producers.
The commission said the complaint contained sufficient evidence to show that the antidumping duties were being circumvented.

"Significant volumes of imports of the product under investigation appear to have replaced imports of the product concerned," the commission said. "In addition, there is sufficient evidence that imports of the product under investigation are made at prices below the...price established in the investigation that led to the existing measures," it added.

The European Commission has nine months to investigate the matter before rendering a verdict.