Russia sends suit against EU over cold-rolled steel duties to WTO

MOSCOW, Jan 30 (PRIME) -- Russia has submitted a claim against E.U. anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled steel to the World Trade Organization (WTO), according to a statement of the Economic Development Ministry published on Monday.

“The Russian Federation sent a request on consultations with the E.U. on January 27, 2017 under a procedure of WTO disputes settlement in connection with an E.U. anti-dumping measure for Russian cold-rolled steel,” the ministry said.

It added that an investigation by the European Commission, which led to the introduction of the duties has violated many WTO rules.

Consultations are the first stage of WTO case settlement. If they prove to be unsuccessful, a claimant can ask to convoke an arbitration panel.

The E.U. introduced the anti-dumping duty on cold-rolled steel from Russia and China in February 2016 and in August it revised the rates and extended the duties for five years. The final duty for Severstal stands at 34.1%, for Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) and for other metals producers at 36.1%, and for Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) at 18.7%.

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