Brussels, 14 February 2020 – Today, the European Commission announced the opening of an anti-dumping investigation into aluminium extrusions originating from China. The investigation follows a complaint by European Aluminium whose member companies are negatively impacted by the dumping of Chinese exports of aluminium extrusions. European Aluminium supports the Commission’s action and urges the swift adoption of appropriate anti-dumping measures.

"Increasing amounts of underpriced Chinese exports are dumped on the EU market, with harmful consequences for European aluminium producers. In the past year, production lines and entire plants closed, with significant job losses as a result. We ask the EU to be proactive rather than wait until it is too late – we need anti-dumping duties to be introduced urgently,” says Gerd Götz, Director General of European Aluminium.

Chinese exports to the EU have more than doubled in the past five years; this is particularly the case for extrusions.¹

“Chinese firms are not playing by the rules and show no signs of changing their approach. We have every reason to believe the dumping will continue unless the EU protects its market. If no urgent action is taken, Chinese production will further substitute European production and the EU risks losing a strategic value chain that is crucial to many low carbon applications,” concludes Götz.

The EU remains one of the last major markets that is unprotected against dumped Chinese exports of aluminium extrusions. Aluminium extrusions from China are currently subject to anti-dumping duties in the US, Canada, Australia and Vietnam.

1 In its landmark report, “Measuring distortions in international markets: The aluminium value chain,” the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) highlights that Chinese producers are recipients of vast amounts of state subsidies, which stimulate them to increase production and allows them to offer products below production costs on the international market. According to the report, global aluminium companies have received up to USD 70 billion in different forms of support over the 2013-2017 period. Notably, 85 percent of the documented subsidies went to just five Chinese firms.

Note to editors:

The products subject to this investigation are aluminium bars, rods, profiles (whether or not hollow), tubes, pipes; unassembled; whether or not prepared for use in structures (e.g., cut-to-length, drilled, bent, chamfered, threaded); made from aluminium, whether or not alloyed, containing not more than 99.3 % of aluminium (‘the product under investigation’).

The products concerned are commonly referred to as ‘extrusions,’ referring to their most common manufacturing process even if the product concerned can also be produced by other production processes such as rolling, forging or casting.

About European Aluminium:

European Aluminium, founded in 1981 and based in Brussels, is the voice of the aluminium industry in Europe. We actively engage with decision makers and the wider stakeholder community to promote the outstanding properties of aluminium, secure growth and optimise the contribution our metal can make to meeting Europe’s sustainability challenges. Through environmental and technical expertise, economic and statistical analysis, scientific research, education and sharing of best practices, public affairs and communication activities, European Aluminium promotes the use of aluminium as a material with permanent properties that is part of the solution to achieving sustainable goals, while maintaining and improving the image of the industry, of the material and of its applications among their stakeholders. Our 80+ members include primary aluminium producers; downstream manufacturers of extruded, rolled and cast aluminium; producers of recycled aluminium and national aluminium associations are representing more than 600 plants in 30 European countries. Aluminium products are used in a wide range of markets, including automotive, transport, high-tech engineering, building, construction and packaging.

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