It would still be provisional but could already have a strong limiting effect on the import of e-bikes from China into the EU markets. The statutory time schedule for dumping investigations carried out by the European Commission provides for the imposition of a provisional anti-dumping duty within nine months depending on the investigators’ finding.

The complaint to stop dumping of Chinese e-bikes on the EU markets filed by the European Bicycle Manufacturers Association (EBMA) on October 2 is fitted within a strict legal framework. This determines, among lots of other aspects, the time frame of the whole procedure.
Dumping investigation to be completed in 15 months
This statutory schedule says that the dumping investigation carried out by inspectors of the European Commission at (among others) production facilities in China has to be completed within 15 months. It means that by the start of 2019 the investigative procedure must have been completed and the European Commission has to announce its verdict.

EBMA’s Secretary General Moreno Fioravanti said on this to Bike Europe “Depending on the date of the European Commission’s official opening of the investigation my personal guess is that the European Commission will publish the final results in January 2019.”

45 days for evaluation of complaint

On that “official opening of the investigation” the statutory time schedule claims that the European Commission has 45 days to decide whether to pursue this case. Fioravanti confirmed this one-and-a-half month time frame and said further “Next to evaluating our complaint the European Commission is also consulting the Member States for adopting a decision if to start this anti-dumping investigation.”

Also anti-subsidy complaint

As said provisional anti-dumping duties could be installed already by about mid-2018. The EBMA Secretary General “This is a possibility depending on the Commission’s investigators finding. This is a new case so provisional measures after 9 months are possible. We are also asking the registration of the imports of e-bikes from China, so that duties can be adopted retroactively. We are also going to file the relevant anti-subsidy complaint. The investigation of this anti-subsidy complaint is shorter; for that a 13 month’s-time-frame is fixed.”

Dumping duty on e-bike components made in China?

The current dumping procedure on regular bicycles imported from China includes an anti-dumping duty on components made in China. This is in place in order to prevent circumvention. Through an exemption procedure European bicycle manufacturers can be exempted from these measures. The question is now whether the e-bikes anti-dumping are to include also e-bike parts like motors and batteries? Moreno Fioravanti said on this “It’s possible. This depends on the findings of the European Commission; if dumping is confirmed and how high the risk is of circumvention.”

Source: Bike Europe