EU imposes tax on galvanized sheet imports from Turkey

The European Union (EU) has imposed an anti-dumping duty between 8 percent and 11 percent on galvanized steel products imported from Turkey. The EU imports 1.6 million tons of galvanized steel worth $2 billion annually from Turkey. Industry representatives state that the anti-dumping duties imposed on galvanized sheet exports will weaken the competitiveness of Turkish products and will seriously affect their exports.

The EU's decision was taken after a preliminary investigation on the application of the European Steel Association (EUROFER). Nearly 10 companies export galvanized sheet from Turkey to EU countries. The anti-dumping decision will be applied at different rates according to the companies. These rates range from 8 to 11 percent. It is stated that as of 2021, the share of EU countries in Turkey's total galvanized product exports is 56 percent. Turkey exports 1.6 million tons of galvanized sheet worth 2 billion dollars to the EU. The European Commission decided to apply final anti-dumping measures in the range of 10 to 37 percent for galvanized sheet products originating in Russia as well as Turkey.

Evaluating the developments to the WORLD, Steel Exporters' Association (CIB) Vice Chairman of the Board Uğur Dalbeler said, “Our exports will be seriously affected by the decision. We will also have difficulties against the countries we compete with. "We will lose our power to compete with countries like Vietnam, South Korea and India," he said.

Is the anti-dumping decision retaliation?
It is noteworthy that the Commission's decision was announced at the same time as the World Trade Organization's (WTO) decision on April 29, 2022, stating that "the implementation of the EU's safeguard measure is not in line with WTO rules". Industry representatives evaluated the EU's decision immediately after the WTO decision as "retaliation". It is stated that the investigation was first initiated in June 2021, upon the application of EU manufacturers, and the European Commission decided to skip the provisional tax application in January, as the investigation is technically complex and will require time to determine the results of the investigation. It has not yet been announced when the anti-dumping decision will be implemented.