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<p>Responsibility for anti-dumping investigations and imposing anti-dumping measures
against imports into the EU and the UK lies with the European Commission. These investigations
are driven by requests from EU producers.</p><p> </p><p>The Government makes regular
representations to the Commission concerning allegations of dumping of steel. My Rt
Hon Friend the Prime Minister pressed for more action on dumping of steel at European
Council on 17 and 18 March. The government judges each anti-dumping case on its merits,
based on the evidence presented by the Commission and on representations from interested
parties, including producers, users and importers, but is strongly in favour of effective
trade defences to tackle unfair trade practices where justified. We have voted in
favour of anti-dumping measures on several steel products since July, including the
imposition of provisional anti-dumping measures on reinforcing bar in January, an
investigation for which we lobbied the Commission successfully, and on cold-rolled
flat steel products in February.</p><p> </p><p>We have supported industry calls for
higher duties on specific cases where this is justified by the evidence. For example,
in the reinforcing bar case we have raised the steel industry’s concerns that the
provisional duties were too low with the Commission. My Rt hon Friend the Secretary
of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke with Trade Commissioner Malmström
about this and received assurances that the Commission will reconsider this during
the definitive stage of the investigation, if industry can provide the necessary evidence.</p><p>
</p><p>We also welcomed the opening of four new anti-dumping investigations involving
steel products earlier this year.</p><p> </p><p>The government continues to push the
Commission for faster, more effective action to deal with dumping of steel. This was
one of the conclusions of the Extraordinary Competitiveness Council on Steel in November,
a meeting which my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and
Skills was instrumental in convening. In advance of the Commission’s energy-intensive
industry stakeholder’s summit on 15 February – another key action from the Competitiveness
Council – the government and several other EU Member States sent a joint letter to
the Commission, pressing it to make full and timely use of all trade defence instruments
to tackle unfair trade. I played an active role at this summit. My Rt Hon Friend the
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has also raised these issues
in discussions with Commissioner Malmström, most recently at the OECD conference on
the challenges facing the steel industry on 18 April. My noble Friend the Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Minister for Intellectual
Property reiterated the need for faster and more effective action on dumping at the
Competitiveness Council held on 29 February and the Presidency conclusions of that
Council reflected this message. I did likewise at the European Steel Day on 21 April.
Officials also have regular discussions about anti-dumping cases with Commission officials
and officials from other EU Member States.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also supporting
a robust discussion of the issue of overcapacity through the EU’s ongoing dialogue
with the Chinese and other governments, including at the OECD conference. My Rt Hon
Friend the Prime Minister has discussed this issue directly with President Xi and
was told that China will take steps to reduce its overcapacity. My Rt Hon Friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer also raised it during his visit to China in February and
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills raised
it with his counterpart in February. Similarly, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of
State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised it during his visit to China in
April.</p>
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