EuroChem Group AG plans to challenge the European Union’s (E.U.) decision last December to maintain antidumping duties on imports of Russian ammonium nitrate (AN), according to an Interfax report this week.
EuroChem subsidiaries Nevinnomyssky Azot and JSC Azot already have brought an action contesting the duty with the European Union General Court in February, according to the report, citing the E.U. Journal.
The E.U. in December opted to continue its quarter-century-old antidumping measures on AN originating from Russia (GM Dec. 18, 2020), following a 15-month investigation launched in September 2019 (GM Sept. 27, 2019). The E.U. re-imposed tariffs of up to between €28.78 and €32.71/mt (approximately $34.79-$39.54 at current exchange rates) on AN from Russia.
The European Commission (E.C.) found in favor of keeping the trade measures in place, as its probe had found there is likely continuation of dumping and injury. While the E.C. found AN imports from Russia accounted for less than 1 percent of AN consumption in the E.U., it concluded that abolishing antidumping duties likely would result in Russian exporting producers re-directing AN into the region from other markets should antidumping duties be allowed to lapse.
According to this week’s news report, EuroChem believes the E.U. “violated its duty to examine carefully and impartially all the relevant aspects of the individual case when it initiated the expiry review.” EuroChem had not responded to Green Markets’ enquiries by press time.
Under the World Trade Organization/E.U. “sunset” review rules, the measures are allowed to continue for up to another five years.