FACE finds the EU decision of suspending the anti-dumping duties on China “illogical and harmful”

FACE – the Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe – firmly opposes the Commission’s proposed 9-month suspension of the anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium flat-rolled products. “These anti-dumping duties are an important protection measure for European companies and represent a value that the EU must encourage, in spite of the current difficulties concerning aluminium, such as its availability and high prices,” declared Mario Conserva, Secretary-General of FACE, referring to the prices aluminium recorded after the coup in Guinea. “Moreover, this suspension would contradict the sustainability-oriented policy that the European Union is pursuing, as this measure will certainly boost Chinese imports with a high carbon footprint. For these reasons,” – Mr Conserva added – “a hypothetical suspension of anti-dumping duties on China would not be the solution but rather a negative signal for our companies.”

Furthermore,  according to Conserva: “apart from the suspension of anti-dumping duties on Chinese products, it is necessary to focus on the 6% import duty on unwrought aluminium, as this measure is wrong and it has been damaging the European industries for years.” In conclusion, the Secretary General stated: “in Europe, the downstream industries have to face this already high premium also sustaining a second, 6% import tariff-driven extra cost extra-cost that averages more than €1 billion per year, almost 2% of the total turnover of European the sector, which is essentially made up of small and medium-sized companies.”

In the triple context of huge EU metal deficit coupled with very high premiums, fierce and unfair international competition and the post-COVID sustainable policies of the Fit for 55 package, it is simply a suicide to keep EU the 6% import tariff structure on unwrought aluminium. The statu quo on this 6% tariff structure clearly contradicts the proclaimed goals of the EU industrial policy and special responsibility to support SMEs.

To download in pdf, click here.