*EPF211 02/13/01
Dumping Case on Steel Bar from Europe, East Asia Continued
(USITC votes 5-0 on evidence of injury to U.S. industry) (320)

Washington -- A dumping investigation into U.S. imports of stainless steel bar from European and East Asian markets will proceed, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided.

In a preliminary determination February 12, the commissioners voted 5-0 that evidence of injury to U.S. industry sufficed to continue the investigation concerning imports from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Imposition of antidumping duties requires final affirmative determinations both from the Department of Commerce that dumping occurred and from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) that the imports injured or threatened U.S. industry.

Preliminary determinations from the U.S. Department of Commerce are expected by the end of April. The imports from Italy are also subject to a subsidy investigation.

U.S. imports of stainless steel bar from the subject countries in 1999 amounted to $132 million. Imports' share of the U.S. market in 1999 was estimated at 36.9 percent.

Dumping is the import of goods at a price below the home-market or a third-country price or below the cost of production. A dumping margin is the ratio of the dumped price to the fair-value price.

In another development, the Commerce Department announced February 8 its preliminary determination in a subsidy investigation into imports of hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from Argentina.

The department said subsidies were paid, calculating the net subsidy rate at 40.79 percent for Siderar Sociedad Anomina Industrial & Commercial and all others.

Imposition of countervailing duties against subsidies requires final affirmative determinations both from Commerce on subsidies and from the USITC on injury. The Commerce Department's final determination is expected July 9.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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