Case C-827/24, Direct Line Inox Impex and Others: Order of the Court (Ninth Chamber) of 2 September 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Cluj (Romania)) – Direcția Generală Regională a Finanțelor Publice Cluj-Napoca and Autoritatea Vamală Română prin Direcția Regională Vamală Cluj v Direct Line Inox Impex SRL, Direcția Regională Vamală Cluj, and Serviciul Soluționare Contestații (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Article 99 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice – Questions the answer to which may be clearly deduced from the Court’s existing case-law – Common commercial policy – Anti-dumping duties – Importing of seamless stainless steel pipes originating in China and cold-drawn in India – Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 – Article 13(1) – Circumvention – Precluded – Substantial modification – Customs union – Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 – Union Customs Code – Article 60(2) – Acquisition of origin of goods – Primary rule precluding a change of origin of hot-finished steel pipes following the cold-processing of those pipes)
Date: 2025-09-02
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: China, India, anti-dumping duty, common commercial policy, customs regulations, customs union, import (EU), originating product, steel, tube








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Official Journal of the European Union


EN
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C/2025/5305


13.10.2025






Order of the Court (Ninth Chamber) of 2 September 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Cluj (Romania)) – Direcția Generală Regională a Finanțelor Publice Cluj-Napoca and Autoritatea Vamală Română prin Direcția Regională Vamală Cluj v Direct Line Inox Impex SRL, Direcția Regională Vamală Cluj, and Serviciul Soluționare Contestații


(Case C-827/24,
                (1)
Direct Line Inox Impex and Others)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Article 99 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice - Questions the answer to which may be clearly deduced from the Court’s existing case-law - Common commercial policy - Anti-dumping duties - Importing of seamless stainless steel pipes originating in China and cold-drawn in India - Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 - Article 13(1) - Circumvention - Precluded - Substantial modification - Customs union - Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 - Union Customs Code - Article 60(2) - Acquisition of origin of goods - Primary rule precluding a change of origin of hot-finished steel pipes following the cold-processing of those pipes)
(C/2025/5305)
Language of the case: Romanian

Referring court

Curtea de Apel Cluj

Parties to the main proceedings


Appellants: Direcția Generală Regională a Finanțelor Publice Cluj-Napoca and Autoritatea Vamală Română prin Direcția Regională Vamală Cluj

Respondents: Direct Line Inox Impex SRL, Direcția Regională Vamală Cluj, and Serviciul Soluționare Contestații

Operative part of the order

Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Union and Article 60(2) of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code
must be interpreted as meaning that the cold-forming in India of seamless iron or steel pipes or tubes from China, in respect of which the European Commission has found that that cold-forming has substantially transformed those goods, inasmuch as it has irreversibly modified their essential characteristics, constitutes (i) a modification which excludes the applicability of Article 13(1) of Regulation 2016/1036 and (ii) a ‘last, substantial, economically-justified processing or working’ within the meaning of Article 60(2) of Regulation No 952/2013 which confers an Indian origin on those goods.


(1)  Date lodged: 13.11.2024.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/5305/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)