Dear members,

On 11 October, a notification was published in the Official Journal of the EU concerning the opening of an anti-dumping investigation regarding imports of hardwood plywood from China. Importers have 7 days to respond to the investigation.

The complaint filed by the Greenwood consortium concerns alleged dumping practices potentially affecting the European market. The investigation targets plywood (excluding bamboo and okoumé) all hardwood plywood imports of the HS-Codes 4412 31, 4412 33, 4412 34, with at least one outer layer of tropical wood or non-coniferous wood, the initiated investigation is labelled AD 717

Procedure and participation for importers:

European importers are now invited to actively participate in order to ensure a balanced representation of their interests. Below are the main steps to be followed:

1. Respond to the questionnaires:

a. Importers must complete the form provided by the Commission (last two pages of the attached notice) within 7 days of the official publication.

This form is also available on the TRON.tdi platform, provided you have access to it https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/TDI

b. The Commission has indicated that if the representative companies do not co-operate, higher anti-dumping duties may be imposed. In addition, on-the-spot verification visits may be carried out to confirm the data submitted.

c. The information requested includes the volume of imports of hardwood plywood from China, the sales value and any comments on the product scope of the investigation.

2. participate in the consultation phase:

a. Importers may also submit comments on the alleged injury or impact of the investigation within 37 days from the date of publication.

b. It is strongly recommended to provide accurate evidence in support of the arguments.

3. respect the deadlines:

a. Any delay or lack of response may result in the available data being considered less favourably, which could lead to more stringent anti-dumping measures.

4. monitoring and follow-up:

a. It is important to monitor the case regularly and be prepared to provide additional responses if the Commission requests further information.

The investigation usually lasts 12 months, but can be extended to 14. It is advisable to monitor the proceedings and to provide accurate and verifiable responses throughout. Further information can be found in the full notice in the EU Official Journal, see attached doc.

The Commission identified Garnica (ES), Paged (PL) and Panguaneta (IT) as European producers and asked them to comment. This is only the ‘provisional sample of Union producers’.

In the course of the procedure, it will also be important to approach your Chinese partners and persuade them to co-operate (and thus possibly avert AD duties) if you intend to steer the procedure in this direction. You can also find all information on the procedure here: https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/investigations/case-view?caseId=2753

Please give us a brief feedback if and how you intend to position yourself. GD Holz has registered as an interested party and is currently awaiting authorisation.

Kilde: European Commision