BRUSSELS — The European Commission (EC) has started antidumping investigation proceedings concerning imports of new and retreaded truck and bus tires from China.
The probe follows a complaint lodged June 30 by the "coalition against unfair tires imports" on behalf of producers representing more than 45 percent of European Union production of these tire types.
The EC said information provided by the complainant indicated "significant" dumping margins on Chinese-made tires and that imports had increased both in terms of volumes and market share.
The evidence "shows that the volume and the prices of the imported product under investigation have had, among other consequences, a negative impact on the quantities sold and the market share held by the [EU] industry," the EC said.
This, the Commission's statement added, had resulted in "substantial adverse effects" on the overall performance and employment across the EU tire industry.
The EC will now carry out an investigation to determine whether these tires are being dumped and whether the dumped imports have caused injury to the EU tire industry — with a view to the possible imposition of counter measures.
The investigation, which can take up to 15 months to complete, will cover the period from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, as well as market trends dating from Jan. 1, 2014.
Given the potentially large number of exporters involved in this proceeding, the Commission said it might limit its investigation to a sample number of Chinese tire producers.
A determination of "normal value" for tire imports is normally based on the price or constructed value of the product in a market economy third country. As an appropriate market economy, the Commission said it had provisionally chosen the U.S.