EU antidumping probe’s proposed duties revealed

The European Commission has revealed proposed provisional duties which could be applied to hot rolled coil imports from Egypt, Japan and Vietnam within the next four weeks.

A pre-disclosure document published today (March 14) reveals that India has avoided any duty after information gathered in the seven-month investigation failed to provide evidence that steel from the country was being dumped into the EU market. 

However, provisional duties in a range of 6.9-33% are expected to be implemented to hot rolled coil from Egypt, Japan and Vietnam from April 7. According to EU rules, interested parties will now be given three working days to comment in writing on the accuracy of the calculations. 

MEPS steel market analyst Jon Carruthers-Green said: “Today's announcement follows recent signals from the European Commission that it would tighten the steel import safeguard mechanism, imposing restrictions across multiple product categories. While this latest measure is more targeted, any additional import protection offers much-needed relief to European steelmakers." 

One MEPS researcher suggested that the duties would have a minimal effect, initially, stating that “buyers have already started diversifying their hot rolled coil purchases since the investigation opened”.  

She added: “If these measures are retroactive, however, there is still material in EU ports, which has yet to be customs cleared, that will be subject to these antidumping duties.  

“Some importers customs cleared their hot rolled coil, despite having to pay safeguard duties, especially on material from Japan, in order to avoid paying additional antidumping duties.” 

Documentation from the Commission’s antidumping investigation states that the conditions for retroactive collection of duties will be “assessed in the regulation imposing definitive duties". The definitive antidumping duties are expected in early October. 

Under the proposed antidumping measures, Nippon Steel will be among the Japanese steelmakers facing the highest import duties, of 33%. Daido Steel faces a 32% duty, while imports from Tokyo Steel will incur a duty of just 6.9%. All other Japanese steelmakers will attract a 33% duty. 

No provisional duties are proposed for imports from Vietnam's Hoa Phat. However, the EU’s proposed measures levy a 12.1% duty on all other hot rolled coil imports from Vietnam and a 15.6% duty on all imports from Egypt. 

MEPS expects some EU steel buyers to resume their Indian-origin hot rolled coil imports. Imports were 59% lower in the July to December period than they were in the first half of 2024.