The European Commission will release the findings of its review of Severstal's hot-rolled coil (HRC) anti-dumping duty by April this year, according to sources in Brussels.
The review has taken longer than initially anticipated, after starting in January last year. The commission commenced the review after it was petitioned by European producers' lobby Eurofer.
When lawyers acting on behalf of Eurofer proposed the review to its members, in an email obtained by Argus, they suggested there was a chance of tripling the existing €17.60/t duty. While there has been no indication as to what the duty will be, most anticipate it will increase from the current level. The commission imposed definitive duties on Russian HRC in October 2017, and Severstal got a much lower rate than its counterparts — NLMK received a €53.30/t duty and MMK €96.50/t.
There is also an expectation the commission might delay the announcement of its findings into Turkish and Russian HDG — the findings are due to be released by 24 January but the commission is only visiting producers next week.
In its safeguard review, which was initiated earlier than expected in December 2021, the commission could remove Vietnam's exemption from the measure on hot-dip galvanised shipments and give the country its own quota. Sources suggest it could also increase the liberalisation rate to 5pc.
