L 145/24
(23)
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
24.5.2022
During the investigation period of the original investigation, approx.
2 600 MW of new offshore wind capacities was added in the EU.
One 8 MW offshore wind turbine uses 60 tonnes of GFF for the three wind blades.
Accordingly, the EU28 offshore installations in 2018 required approx.
19 958 tonnes of GFF, and EU27 offshore installations approx.
10 118 tonnes.
3.2.
Egypt (24)
In 2018 there were no imports under the inward processing regime from Egypt.
As a Party to the pan-EuroMediterranean convention, Egypt benefits from preferential tariff treatment.
Thus, imports of GFF from Egypt are subject to 0 % preferential tariffs as opposed to 5-7 % MFN tariffs.
It follows that in 2018 there was no economic justification for parties to import GFF under the inward processing regime from Egypt.
(25)
In the reply to the questionnaire, SGRE indicated that it did not import any GFF from Egypt destined for use in the CS/EEZ during the investigation period.
Vestas did not provide any questionnaire response shedding light on this matter.
In this respect, the Commission noted that already during the original investigation, Vestas failed to identify separately imports originating in Egypt.
However, based on the information submitted in the original investigation, and in particular the data provided directly by Egyptian exporters, Vestas imported significant quantities of GFF from Egypt under the normal regime, amounting to between 5 % and 8 % of EU28 imports and between 2 % and 5 % of EU28 consumption (13).
These shares would be significantly higher as a proportion of EU27 figures.
(26)
At the same time, Vestas had significant new EU offshore installations in 2018, accounting for 30-50 % of all such new installations in the EU28 and EU27.
This indicates that significant quantities of Egyptian GFF were brought into the CS/EEZ during the investigation period of the original investigation.
There is no information on file contradicting this conclusion.
(27)
This conclusion is further supported by the fact that imports of GFF originating in Egypt took place immediately after the imposition of measures under the inward processing regime (more than 230 tonnes in the second half of 2020).
(28)
Therefore, on the basis of the evidence available, the Commission concluded that significant quantities were brought into the CS/EEZ from Egypt, contributing to the injury already established in the original investigation.
3.3.
The PRC (29)
In 2018 the volume of GFF imports under inward processing procedure from China amounted to 5 343 tonnes.
Out of this, the imports of the Member States with offshore installations amounted to 4 835 tonnes—15 % of which corresponded to the UK.
(30)
In reply to the questionnaire, SGRE reported imports of GFF from the PRC under both inward processing regime and normal regime for the CS/EEZ in the Union.
Inward processing volumes for EU27 alone represented between 1 % and 3 % of total EU28 GFF consumption and between 4 % and 7 % of total EU28 GFF imports in the investigation period (14).
This implies that the share in EU27 imports and EU27 consumption would be even larger.
As these quantities are above de minimis levels, they are on their own significant enough to cause injury—and thus to contribute to the injury already established in the original investigation.
Moreover, the Commission recalled that the injury analysis in the original investigation was made by cumulating imports from Egypt and the PRC.
Therefore, any increase in imports channelled to the CS/EEZ can only further contribute to the injury as found in the original investigation.
4.
DISCLOSURE
(31)
The parties were informed of the essential facts and considerations on the basis of which it was intended to extend the measures to certain woven and/or stitched glass fibre fabrics originating in the PRC and Egypt to the CS/EEZ.
They were also granted a period within which they could make representations subsequent to this disclosure.
(13) Ranges are provided for confidentiality reasons.
(14) Ranges are provided for confidentiality reasons.