Notice amending the notice of initiation of a safeguard investigation concerning the imports of steel products
Date: 2018-06-28
Institutions: Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission
Subjects: import (EU), iron and steel product, originating product, surveillance concerning imports, third country








C_2018225EN.01005401.xml










28.6.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 225/54





Notice amending the notice of initiation of a safeguard investigation concerning the imports of steel products
(2018/C 225/07)
On 26 March 2018, the Commission initiated a safeguard investigation concerning imports of steel products (1) (the ‘Notice of 26 March 2018’) It was subsequently brought to the Commission’s attention that two steel product categories were not included in the list of products subject of that investigation.
The inclusion of those two steel product categories appears to be necessary since they are currently subject to steel surveillance measures (2) alongside the 26 product categories covered by the Notice of 26 March 2018. For those two product categories, the Commission has obtained sufficient evidence that would justify their inclusion within the scope of the current investigation, so that the amendment of the Notice of 26 March 2018 is deemed necessary. Further information can be found in a note to the file for inspection by interested parties.
With the inclusion of the two product categories, the information currently available to the Commission indicates a total increasing import volume of the steel products concerned by the current safeguard investigation from 18,8 million tonnes to 30,6 million tonnes during the period 2013-2017. Those imports also increase in relative terms to domestic production.
The two additional product categories should therefore be included in the scope of the current safeguard investigation.
1.   ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS UNDER INVESTIGATION

The additional products categories are non-alloy and other alloy cold finished bars and non-alloy wire. Those products categories should be added to the list of products subject of the current safeguard investigation. The CN codes within which those products categories are currently classified are as follows:







Product number


Product category


CN Codes




27


Non-alloy and other alloy cold finished bars


7215 10 00 , 7215 50 11 , 7215 50 19 , 7215 50 80 , 7228 10 90 , 7228 20 99 , 7228 50 20 , 7228 50 40 , 7228 50 61 , 7228 50 69 , 7228 50 80 




28


Non-alloy wire


7217 10 10 , 7217 10 31 , 7217 10 39 , 7217 10 50 , 7217 10 90 , 7217 20 10 , 7217 20 30 , 7217 20 50 , 7217 20 90 , 7217 30 41 , 7217 30 49 , 7217 30 50 , 7217 30 90 , 7217 90 20 , 7217 90 50 , 7217 90 90 




Those CN codes are given for information purposes only.
2.   CLARIFICATION CONCERNING CERTAIN PRODUCT CATEGORIES AND CN CODES

Although the Notice of 26 March 2018 mentions that the CN codes are provided for information purposes only, it has appeared during the investigation that certain CN codes have not been or have been wrongly allocated. Therefore, the Annex to that Notice should be read as follows:







Product number


Product category


CN Codes




1


Non Alloy and Other Alloy Hot Rolled Sheets and Strips


7208 10 00 , 7208 25 00 , 7208 26 00 , 7208 27 00 , 7208 36 00 , 7208 37 00 , 7208 38 00 , 7208 39 00 , 7208 40 00 , 7208 52 10 , 7208 52 99 , 7208 53 10 , 7208 53 90 , 7208 54 00 , 7211 13 00 , 7211 14 00 , 7211 19 00 , 7212 60 00 , 7225 19 10 , 7225 30 10 , 7225 30 30 , 7225 30 90 , 7225 40 15 , 7225 40 90 , 7226 19 10 , 7226 91 20 , 7226 91 91 , 7226 91 99 




4


Metallic Coated Sheets


7210 20 00 , 7210 30 00 , 7210 41 00 , 7210 49 00 , 7210 61 00 , 7210 69 00 , 7210 90 80 , 7212 20 00 , 7212 30 00 , 7212 50 20 , 7212 50 30 , 7212 50 40 , 7212 50 61 , 7212 50 69 , 7212 50 90 , 7225 91 00 , 7225 92 00 , 7225 99 00 , 7226 99 10 , 7226 99 30 , 7226 99 70 




7


Non Alloy and Other Alloy Quarto Plates


7208 51 20 , 7208 51 91 , 7208 51 98 , 7208 52 91 , 7208 90 20 , 7208 90 80 , 7210 90 30 , 7225 40 12 , 7225 40 40 , 7225 40 60 




3.   PROCEDURAL ISSUES

3.1.   Written submissions, questionnaire replies and correspondence

In order to obtain the information it deems necessary for its investigation, the Commission will send questionnaires to the known producers of the like or directly competing products and to any known associations of producers in the Union of these two product categories. The completed questionnaires must reach the Commission within 21 days from the date on which they are sent.
All other interested parties, including exporting producers, importers and users and their associations of the two product categories concerned are invited to make known their views in writing, submit information and to provide supporting evidence concerning these two product categories. Comments as to the inclusion of the two product categories in the current safeguard investigation should reach the Commission within 7 days from the date of publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union. Other comments in a free format should be submitted within 21 days from the date of publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union. Interested parties may make themselves known by contacting the Commission, preferably by email, immediately but no later than 15 days after the publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union, and request a questionnaire. The completed questionnaire should be submitted within 21 days from the date on which they are sent.
Any submission of views and information after the above deadlines may be disregarded.
3.2.   Hearings

Pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2015/478 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) and Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2015/755 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), all interested parties may also apply to be heard by the Commission within 21 days from the date of publication of this Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union.
3.3.   Other procedural issues

The other procedural issues mentioned in paragraphs 3.2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Notice of Initiation of 26 March 2018 continue to apply to this investigation.


(1)  OJ C 111, 26.3.2018, p. 29.

(2)  Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/670 of 28 April 2016 introducing prior Union surveillance of imports of certain iron and steel products originating in certain third countries (OJ L 115, 29.4.2016, p. 37).

(3)  Regulation (EU) 2015/478 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2015 on common rules for imports (OJ L 83, 27.3.2015, p. 16).

(4)  Regulation (EU) 2015/755 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2015 on common rules for imports from certain third countries (OJ L 123, 19.5.2015, p. 33).