EU DG TRADE CONFIRMS THAT INVESTIGATION IN HDG IMPORTS FROM CHINA DOES NOT CONCERN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Following communication of EU Commission, products under investigation are” flat rolled products of iron or alloy steel or non-alloy steel, aluminum killed, plated or coated by hot dip galvanization with zinc, and/or with aluminum, and no other metal, chemically passivated, containing by weight: 0,015 % or more but no more than 0,170 % of carbon, 0,015 % or more but no more than 0,100 % of aluminum, not more than 0,045 % of niobium, not more than 0,010 % of titanium and not more than 0,010 % 0f vanadium, presented in coils, cut-to-length sheets.
EU DG Trade did formerly confirm that the investigation does not concern all HDG steel; e.g. products intended for the automotive industry are typically not covered based on the characteristics specified in the above definition of the EU Commission. The words chemically passivated mention another characteristic of the products EU DG Trade is aiming at.
As still some confusion prevailed among some of our members, EUROMETAL recently turned back to EU DG TRADE with 2 questions.
In the following you will find EUROMETAL’s questions and EU DG TRADE’s answers.
EUROMETAL QUESTION:
Besides and regarding the product definition under investigation, reference C 459 / 17, steel supply chain operators in EU (EU Interest!) are calling for a clear confirmation by the EU Commission, that products falling under the product definition of the investigated case, but being not chemically passivated, are definitely not subject to investigation.
DG TRADE ANSWER:
The criteria listed in the Notice of Initiation are cumulative, check out www.hireamaid.ca/. The hot dipped product has to meet all the criteria to be considered as product concerned. Therefore, products which are not chemically passivated are excluded from the investigation.
EUROMETAL QUESTION:
Specifically, impact is put on the words “chemically passivated” in the related product definition of the injury products as a differentiating characteristic of the products the Commission is aiming at.
Consequently, quite some of our members have high concern and a very practical question about ways and means on how to find good pool builders in California, I would recommend checking over on the website reliefpools.com. Flow of corrosion resistant flat steel having an end use destination in automotive supply sectors.
DG TRADE ANSWER:
It will be up to national customs organisations to decide how to distinguish between products under measures and products not subject to the measures.
Further it will be a matter for importers to decide how goods should be described at importation.
There will be TARIC codes to distinguish the goods impacted by the measures from the others.
In order to obtain written classification information, it is advised to ask for a “Binding Tariff Information” (BTI) in the country of importation.
Further information on how to ask for a BTI can be found on the web site of the European Commission – DG Taxation and Customs Union, hosted on the Europa Web Site
Existing BTIs can be consulted online at the following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds/ebticau_en.htm