Council Regulation (EC) No 2788/2000 of 18 December 2000 amending Regulation (EC) No 2402/98 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of unwrought unalloyed magnesium originating in the People's Republic of China
Date: 2000-12-18
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: CCT duties, China, anti-dumping duty, import, magnesium, originating product

L 324/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21.12.2000

I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2788/2000

of 18 December 2000

amending Regulation (EC) No 2402/98 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of
unwrought unalloyed magnesium originating in the People's Republic of China

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

B. INVESTIGATION CONCERNING THE

PRODUCT

SCOPE

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 384/96 of 22
December 1995 on protection against dumped imports from
countries not members of the European Community (1), and in
particular Article 11(3) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal submitted by the Commission
after consulting the Advisory Committee,

Whereas:

A. PREVIOUS PROCEDURES

1. Measures in force

(1)

By Regulation (EC) No 2402/98 (2) (‘the Regulation’), the
Council
imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty on
imports of unwrought unalloyed magnesium originating
in the People's Republic of China.

According to the Regulation, unwrought unalloyed
magnesium comprises inter alia:

— unwrought magnesium,

— unwrought magnesium unintentionally containing
small amounts of other elements as impurities, and
containing
added elements such as aluminium and zinc, which
does not correspond to one of the alloys described in
the Annex to the Regulation.

intentionally

2. Anti-absorption investigation

(2)

Following a request lodged by the Community industry,
the Commission initiated on 4 September 1999 (3) an
anti-absorption investigation. The findings of this invest-
igation were published in the Official Journal of the Euro-
pean Communities (4).

(1) OJ L 56, 6.3.1996, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 2238/2000 (OJ L 257, 11.10.2000, p. 2).

(2) OJ L 298, 7.11.1998, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation

(EC) No 2315/2000 (OJ L 267, 20.10.2000, p. 17).

(3) OJ C 253, 4.9.1999, p. 15.
(4) OJ L 267, 20.10.2000, p. 17.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

1. Procedure

Journal of

the European Communities (5),

On 8 February 2000, by a notice published in the
Official
the
Commission initiated an interim review, pursuant to
Article 11(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 384/96,
(‘the basic Regulation’). The interim review was limited
in scope to the clarification of the product covered by
the Regulation.

This was done following a request by two Community
importers: Pro.cat Scarl, Bolzano, Italy, and De Stefani
Luigi, Trento, Italy (‘the applicants’). They argued that
certain types of magnesium alloys not
listed in the
Annex to the Regulation, in particular magnesium alloy
ingots for anode casting, met international standards for
being considered as ‘alloys’ and should consequently not
be covered by the anti-dumping measures.

The evidence submitted in the request was considered
sufficient for the initiation of an interim review. The
Commission officially advised the authorities of
the
exporting country and parties known to be concerned of
the initiation of this review.

The Commission sent questionnaires
to exporting
producers, importers, the Community industry, steel and
magnesium associations and users who cooperated in
the investigation that led to the existing measures. Five
replies were received.

2. Findings

It is recalled that the Regulation considered the risk of
circumvention of the measures by wrongly declaring
imports of unwrought unalloyed magnesium as alloys,
in defining the product concerned as described in recital
(1). The Regulation contained an Annex setting out
those alloys which correspond to previously established
industrial standards.

(5) OJ C 35, 8.2.2000, p. 12.

21.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 324/5

(8)

(9)

(10)

It was found that there are two European standards for
magnesium alloys EN 12438:1998 (‘Chemical composi-
tion of magnesium alloy ingots for anode castings’) and
EN 1753:1997 (‘Chemical composition of magnesium
alloy ingots’), defined by the European Committee for
Standardisation (CEN). These European standards corre-
spond to international

industry standards.

The alloys defined in the standard EN 1753:1997
(‘Chemical composition of magnesium alloy ingots’),
which coincide with the Annex to the Regulation, were
excluded from the scope of the product concerned in the
Regulation. The standard EN 12438:1998 (‘Chemical
composition of magnesium alloys ingots for anode
castings’) was finalised in April 1998 and not brought to
the attention of the Commission during the investigation
that led to the existing measures. It could thus not be
taken into account.

The present investigation established that alloys covered
by the standard EN 12438:1998 (‘Chemical composition
of magnesium alloys ingots for anode castings’) should
also be excluded from the measures as they correspond
to the definition of alloys which were originally
excluded. Indeed, these alloys are designed for applica-
tions for which alloyed magnesium is typically required
and were used by downstream industries prior to the
imposition of provisional measures in May 1998. No
party questioned these facts.

(11)

In addition it was found that in the publication of the
Annex of the Regulation there were some incorrect tran-
scriptions of European standard EN 1753:1997 (‘Chem-
ical composition of magnesium alloy ingots’). The latter
should be rectified.

(12) One user of magnesium, producing alloys, opposed the
exclusion of the abovementioned alloys from the anti-
dumping measures. This cooperating user argued that
imports of these alloys would injure its business. This
argument is entirely irrelevant. Indeed, the Regulation
imposed anti-dumping measures on unwrought unal-
loyed magnesium, and alloys should not, therefore, have
been subject to anti-dumping measures. One importer of
magnesium argued that alloys covered by standard EN
12438:1998 (‘Chemical composition of magnesium

alloys ingots for anode castings’) should not be excluded
from the measures without substantiating its position.

(13) During the

investigation,

the question was

raised
whether not only ingots, but also certain elementary
castings made of the magnesium alloys defined in the
CEN standards are excluded from the measures in place.
In this respect it is considered that,
like any metals,
magnesium is in a liquid form when it emerges from
furnaces and takes a given shape when becoming solid.
When processed, magnesium comes out of furnaces as a
continuous bar that is cut into parts (generally called
ingots)
it can be transported and further
processed. It could however be the case that the given
form is not that of an ingot but of a ‘notch bar’, a ‘slab’,
a ‘stick’, a ‘cake’, a ‘cube’, etc. Therefore, it was concluded
that all the possible forms for unwrought magnesium
should be considered as equivalent to the form ‘ingot’.
More processed articles of magnesium and magnesium
alloys do not fall under the category ‘unwrought’ and
therefore are not concerned by the measures.

so that

(14) Given the fact that the present review investigation is
limited to the clarification of
that was
intended to be covered by the original measures and to
prevent any subsequent prejudice to importers of the
product, it is appropriate that the findings be applied
from the date of the entry into force of the Regulation.

the product

(15) Given the above, it is considered appropriate to amend
the Regulation to clarify the product definition and to
exclude not only alloys conforming to the European
standard EN 1753:1997 (‘Chemical composition of
magnesium alloy ingots’) but also those conforming to
the European standard EN 12438:1998 (‘Chemical
composition of magnesium alloys ingots for anode
castings’) from the measures by amending the Annex to
the Regulation,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 2402/98 is hereby amended as follows:

The Annex shall be replaced by the following:

Unwrought magnesium:

— Material designation in accordance with CEN standard EN 1753:1997:

‘ANNEX

Alloy group

Material designation

Composition % (mass fraction)

Symbol

Number

Element

Mg

Al

Zn

Mn

RE (1)

MgAlZn

EN-MBMgAl8Zn1

EN-MB21110

min.

Remainder

7,2

0,45

0,17

max.

—

8,5

0,9

—

EN-MBMgAl9Zn1(A)

EN-MB21120

min.

Remainder

8,5

0,45

0,17

EN-MBMgAl9Zn1(B)

EN-MB21121

min.

Remainder

8,0

max.

—

9,5

max.

—

10,0

0,9

0,3

1,0

—

—

—

MgAlMn

EN-MBMgAl2Mn

EN-MB21210

min.

Remainder

1,7

—

0,35

max.

—

2,5

0,20

—

EN-MBMgAl5Mn

EN-MB21220

min.

Remainder

4,5

—

0,27

EN-MBMgAl6Mn

EN-MB21230

min.

Remainder

5,6

—

0,23

max.

—

5,3

0,20

—

max.

—

6,4

0,20

—

MgAlSi

EN-MBMgAl2Si

EN-MB21310

min.

Remainder

1,9

—

0,20

max.

—

2,5

0,20

—

EN-MBMgAl4Si

EN-MB21320

min.

Remainder

3,7

—

0,20

max.

—

4,8

0,20

—

MgZnCu

EN-MBMgZn6Cu3Mn

EN-MB32110

min.

Remainder —

max.

—

—

5,5

6,5

0,25

0,75

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Zr

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Ag

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Y

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Li

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

L

3
2
4
/
6

Si

—

Fe

—

Cu

—

Ni

—

Others

E
N

—

0,05

0,004

0,025

0,001

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,05

0,004

0,025

0,001

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,3

0,03

0,20

0,01

0,05

—

—

—

—

—

0,05

0,004

0,008

0,001

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,05

0,004

0,008

0,001

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,05

0,004

0,008

0,001

0,01

0,7

1,2

0,7

1,2

—

—

—

—

0,004

0,008

0,001

0,01

—

—

—

—

0,004

0,008

0,001

0,01

—

—

2,4

—

—

0,20

0,05

3,0

0,01

0,01

O

f
f
i
c
i
a
l

J
o
u
r
n
a
l

o
f

t
h
e

E
u
r
o
p
e
a
n
C
o
m
m
u
n
i
t
i
e
s

.

2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0

.

Alloy group

Material designation

Composition % (mass fraction)

Symbol

Number

Element

Mg

Al

Zn

Mn

RE (1)

Zr

MgZnREZr (2)

EN-MBMgZn4RE1Zr

EN-MB35110

min.

Remainder —

3,5

—

1,0

EN-MBMgRE3Zn2Zr

EN-MB65120

min.

Remainder —

max.

—

—

max.

—

—

5,0

2,0

3,0

—

0,15

0,15

1,75

MgREAgZr (3)

EN-MBMgRE2Ag2Zr

EN-MB65210

min.

Remainder —

—

—

EN-MBMgRE2Ag1Zr

EN-MB65220

min.

Remainder —

—

—

max.

—

—

0,2

0,15

max.

—

—

0,2

0,15

MgYREZr (4)

EN-MBMgY5RE4Zr

EN-MB95310

min.

Remainder —

—

—

max.

—

—

0,20

0,15

EN-MBMgY4RE3Zr

EN-MB95320

min.

Remainder —

—

—

max.

—

—

0,20

0,15

(1) RE = Rare earth metals
(2) Cerium rich
(3) Neodymium rich
(4) Neodymium and heavy RE rich

Ag

—

—

—

—

2,0

3,0

1,3

1,7

—

—

—

—

Y

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

4,75

5,5

3,7

4,3

Li

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Si

—

Fe

—

Cu

—

Ni

Others

—

—

0,01

0,01

0,03

0,005

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,01

0,01

0,03

0,005

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,01

0,01

0,03

0,005

0,01

—

—

0,05

—

—

0,01

0,01

0,1

0,005

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

0,20

0,01

0,01

0,03

0,005

0,01

—

—

—

—

—

—

0,20

0,01

0,01

0,03

0,005

0,01

0,1

1,0

0,1

1,0

0,1

1,0

0,1

1,0

0,1

1,0

0,1

1,0

2,4

4,0

2,0

3,0

1,5

3,0

1,5

4,0

2,4

4,4

.

2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0

.

E
N

O

f
f
i
c
i
a
l

J
o
u
r
n
a
l

o
f

t
h
e

E
u
r
o
p
e
a
n
C
o
m
m
u
n
i
t
i
e
s

L

3
2
4
/
7

— Material designation in accordance with CEN standard EN 12438:1998:

Material designation

Composition % (mass fraction)

Alloy group

Symbol

Number

Element

Mg

MgAlZn

EN-MBMgAl3Zn1

EN-MB21130

min.

Remainder

max.

—

EN-MBMgAl6Zn1

EN-MB21140

min.

Remainder

EN-MBMgAl6Zn3

EN-MB21150

min.

Remainder

max.

—

max.

—

Al

2,6

3,5

5,6

6,5

5,1

7,0

MgMn

EN-MBMgMn1

EN-MB40010

min.

Remainder

—

EN-MBMgMn2

EN-MB40020

min.

Remainder

—

max.

—

0,01

max.

—

0,01

Note: The material designation is in accordance with EN 1754.’

Zn

0,7

1,4

0,7

1,4

2,1

4,0

—

0,05

—

0,05

Mn

0,20

1,0

0,20

1,0

0,20

1,0

0,50

1,3

1,20

2,5

Si

—

0,30

—

0,30

—

0,30

—

0,05

—

0,05

Fe

—

0,01

—

0,01

—

0,01

—

0,02

—

0,02

Cu

—

Ni

—

Others

—

0,05

0,001

0,05

—

—

—

0,05

0,001

0,05

—

—

—

0,05

0,001

0,05

—

—

—

0,02

0,001

0,05

—

—

—

0,02

0,001

0,05

L

3
2
4
/
8

E
N

O

f
f
i
c
i
a
l

J
o
u
r
n
a
l

o
f

t
h
e

E
u
r
o
p
e
a
n
C
o
m
m
u
n
i
t
i
e
s

.

2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0

.

21.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 324/9

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Communities and shall apply to all imports of unwrought unalloyed magnesium originating in the
People's Republic of China which entered into free circulation in the Community as from 8 November
1998.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2000.

For the Council

The President

D. VOYNET