Yesterday the Commission opened an anti-absorption investigation concerning the anti-dumping measures on imports of optical fiber cables originating in the People’s Republic of China.

Anti-dumping measures ranging between 14.6% and 33.7% were imposed in November 2021, but there are indications that Chinese import prices into the Union have nevertheless decreased significantly. This could indicate that the anti-dumping duties are being absorbed and are thus not providing effective protection for the EU industry.

Optical fiber cables are key for the transition to advanced broadband telecommunication networks for homes and businesses in the EU. Therefore, it is particularly important to ensure that there is fair competition on the EU market and that the EU’s optical fiber cable industry is not harmed by unfairly priced imports.

The investigation launched today upon the request of the EU industry will examine if the level of anti-dumping duties currently in place is sufficient to remove the injurious effects of the dumped optical fiber cable imports.

If the investigation shows that absorption of anti-dumping duties has taken place resulting in a decrease of the export prices, the Commission will reassess the export prices and recalculate the dumping margins of the Chinese exporting producers to ensure a level playing field on the EU market for imported and domestically produced products. Any potential new duties will be no more than twice the amount of the initial duties.

If no absorption is found, the anti-absorption investigation will be terminated without changing the level of the anti-dumping duties in force.

The Commission will have to complete this investigation within nine months of its initiation, so by 7 September 2023.

Source:  European Commission