The European Commission has decided to register all imports of products under anti-dumping or anti-subsidy investigations, including ongoing investigations. This will enable the retroactive collection of anti-dumping and countervailing duties if the legal conditions are met.

Reports suggest that the Commission may implement retroactive duties in its anti-dumping case, launched last month, against hot rolled coil imports from Egypt, India, Japan and Vietnam, Kallanish notes.

Retroactive collection is not automatic. That decision is taken only at the definitive stage of each investigation, the Commission points out.

The registration of imports is also designed to prevent sharp increases in imports of products under investigation ahead of the imposition of measures. It will simplify procedures and alleviate the burden placed on industry, while also providing the Commission with precise and accurate information about the source and quantities of imports of a product under investigation, as well as broader market developments, the Commission observes.

Until now, imports were usually registered only upon a justified request from EU industry. The latest decision is aimed at stepping up the use of trade defence instruments.

The registration will be carried out by Member-State customs authorities as directed by the European Commission via individual Implementing Regulations.

In an unprecedented move, the EU initiated the HRC AD case despite all four origins already being subject to EU safeguard quotas, with Egypt, Japan and Vietnam effectively having their quotas restricted only a month earlier. EU steel industry representatives are concerned about the survival of production in the bloc amid high import penetration and uncompetitive production costs.