News

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Commission has taken the first step in the procedure to review the current anti-dumping measures against bicycles imported from the Peoples Republic of China which are to expire next Thursday, July 15, 2010. Today the ‘Notice of Initiation of an Expiry Review’  is finally published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The published document states: “The request (for an expiry review, ed) was lodged on 13 April 2010 by the European Bicycle Manufacturers Association (EBMA) on behalf of producers representing a major proportion, in this case more than 25 %, of the total Union production of bicycles.”

It took the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade over three months to take further action on that request as DG Trade mailed on July 5 an urgent letter to individual bike manufacturers as well as industry associations in Europe.

The letter included a questionnaire with which the Directorate-General for Trade wanted: “To assess whether a formal expiry review investigation concerning imports into the EU of bicycles originating in the People's Republic of China may be initiated. EU law requires the Commission to verify whether the EU producers presenting a complaint are sufficiently representative,” said this official letter. It urged the bike producers in Europe to return the completed questionnaires in only two days.

The published document further states: “The request is based on the grounds that the expiry of the measures would be likely to result in a continuation of dumping and recurrence of injury to the Union industry.” For the complete Notice of Initiation of  Expiry Review document click here:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:188:0005:0009:EN:PDF

Normally an expiry review is completed within 12 months, but they may take up to 15 months. If it takes the European Commission 15 months to decide for a withdrawal or continuation of the anti-dumping measures, the dumping duties of 48.5% on bikes imported from China will remain in force up to January 1, 2012.