The European Commission has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese hardwood plywood imports following a complaint from the Greenwood Consortium, representing the EU's hardwood plywood industry. The consortium claims that Chinese imports are sold at artificially low prices, undermining European producers and violating fair trade practices.
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The investigation focuses on hardwood plywood, excluding bamboo and okoumé, with a ply thickness of no more than 6 mm. The complaint alleges that a significant portion of these imports contains wood sourced from Russian forests, potentially circumventing the EU's ban on Russian wood products imposed after the Ukraine invasion in 2022.
Chinese plywood imports to the EU surged by 23% year-on-year between January and August 2024, reaching 837,000 cubic meters, valued at $514 million. In contrast, exports from Poland, Italy, and Romania have declined. The complaint highlights that Chinese manufacturers benefit from state subsidies, resulting in lower production costs and unfair competitive advantages.
The investigation, expected to last up to 14 months, aims to determine whether to impose anti-dumping duties on these imports. Provisional measures could be introduced within eight months if preliminary findings support the claims.
Source: www.lesprom.com