WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1157/97 by Mihail PAPAYANNAKIS to the Commission. The Greek steel industry
Date: 1997-03-26
Institutions: European Parliament, PAPAYANNAKIS
Subjects: Greece, import, import policy, iron and steel industry, iron and steel product, market protection, market supervision, national production, restriction on competition, third country













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91997E1157

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1157/97 by Mihail PAPAYANNAKIS to the Commission. The Greek steel industry  


Official Journal C 367 , 04/12/1997 P. 0089 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1157/97 by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (26 March 1997)Subject: The Greek steel industryThe Greek steel industry is facing problems as a result of imports of iron and steel from third countries.Bearing in mind Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 ((OJ L 349, 31.12.1994, p. 53. )) and in particular Articles 11 and 15 thereof on surveillance and Articles 16, 17 and 18 on provisional safeguard measures, how would the Commission view any request by thecompetent Greek authorities that protective measures be taken to deal with the problems facing Greek steel producers, if it found that there was sufficient evidence that Greek producers of similar or directly competing products had suffered or were in danger of suffering serious losses?Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (6 May 1997)Two Community prior surveillance measures based on Council Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 of 22 December 1994 are currently in force. Commission Regulation (EC) No 2412/96 of 18 December 1996 introducing prior Community surveillance of imports of certain iron and steel products covered by the ECSC and EC Treaties originating in certain third countries ((OJ L 329 of 19.12.1996, p. 11. )) establishes prior surveillance for a range of steel products entering the Community in 1997. Commission Regulation No 754/96 of 25 April 1996 introducing prior Community surveillance of imports of certain steel cables originating in non-member countries ((OJ L 103 of 26.04.1996, p. 6 )) applies a similar system for steel cables until 30 June 1997. Both measures provide early warning of likely import trends.Statistics concerning actual imports are not yet available for the whole of 1996, since a number of Member States, including Greece, are late in providing their figures to the Statistical office. However, figures for the first nine months of 1996 show that imports of ECSC Treaty steel products were 8.2 million tonnes, 26% less than the same period a year earlier. Imports of flat products were stable at 5.1 million tonnes, 3% less than the previous year, while imports of long products fell by 40% to 1.7 million tonnes (semi-finished products make up the balance). Although down, the volume of steel imports into the Community remains high and, in some cases, price levels prevent lasting stabilization of this open, highly competitive market. The Community's forward programme for steel for the first half of 1997 forecasts that imports should continue to contract in the first semester before gradually leveling off during the second semester.Council Regulation No 3285/94 states that a Member State shall inform the Commission if it considers that the trends in imports call for surveillance or safeguard measures. The Commission is not currently aware of any specific Greek concerns relating to safeguard measures in the steel sector.