EU anti-dumping inquiry ‘indispensable first step’

An investigation into the alleged dumping of imports into Europe of tinplated steel products from China has been welcomed by producers.

The announcement from the European Commission is seen by the European Steel Association (Eurofer) as ‘an indispensable first step’ towards a level playing field for the EU tinplate industry.

The producers’ trade body says the influx of cheap tinplate imports from China has had serious repercussions on EU producers. It is said to have resulted in reduced production volumes, capacity utilisation and market share.

The EU industry lost a quarter of its sales volume from 2021 to 2023, whereas the market share of EU consumption taken by Chinese imports more than doubled in the same period.

Flooded markets

‘Chinese mills have been flooding the EU market for at least the past four years with their overcapacities of tinplate at dumped prices, putting immense pressure on EU producers that were forced to reduce their prices regardless of the evolution of costs,’ says Eurofer dg Axel Eggert.

‘As steel is at the core of many value chains, the impact of dumped steel products from third countries is not only a problem for our sector but is systemic for the wider EU economy and employment.’

Eggert insists that maintaining and developing the European tinplate industry is key for downstream sectors which need a healthy steel industry.