Withdraw the EU anti dumping duty on Chinese glass fibre

On the 15th September 2010 the European Commission decided to impose provisional anti-dumping measures on glass fibre products originating in China, taking duty from 7% to a staggering 50.6%.

The measures were imposed even though a clear majority of 12 Member States voted against the measure with only seven Member States voting in favour, while eight abstained.

We believe that the investigation period chosen by the European Commission  from 1st October 2008 to 30th September 2009 is not objective in terms of measuring the price difference between European and Chinese producers. There has been extreme supply and price volatility since September 2009 and this should be taken into account.

The import duties will affect the business development of more than 10,000 companies across Europe, mostly SMEs, and an estimated 150,000 employees involved in the manufacturing of composites .

This unprecedented and unfair action will lead to significant job cuts within the composite sector and related industries. Composite jobs will either be exported outside of the EU or lost due to a reduction in consumer demand due to a dramatic increase in costs.

The provisional anti-dumping measures will last for six months, when a final decision will be made. It is vital that the voice of composite industry is heard before the duty is imposed for a period of 5 years.

We urge the European Commission to withdraw the imposition of the additional 43.6% duty on glass fibre products originating in China, to protect jobs across the entire composite industry and allowing all of the composite industry to be competitive.