The European Union is imposing an antidumping duty on certain utility scale steel wind towers from China, the European Commission said in a Dec. 15 implementing regulation. The investigation was initiated following a complaint from the European Wind Tower Association, which alleged that these towers were harming the domestic European industry. After looking into the matter, the commission deemed this allegation is correct and that a corrective antidumping duty was warranted.

The European Union initiated a pair of anti-circumvention investigations into its antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain woven and/or stitched glass fiber fabrics from China and Egypt, consigned from Turkey, the European Commission said. The investigation will cover certain woven and/or stitched glass fiber fabrics consigned from Turkey, whether declared as originating in Turkey or not. The investigations were initiated after TECH-FAB Europe requested them in November, alleging that assembly operations in Turkey substantially increased after the imposition of the orders.

The World Trade Organization published the agenda for the next meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body, set for Dec. 20. The agenda includes status reports by the U.S. on the implementation of recommendations adopted by the DSB on: antidumping measures on certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan; antidumping and countervailing measures on large residential washers from South Korea; certain methodologies and their application to antidumping proceedings involving China; and Section 110(5) of the U.S. Copyright Act.

The European Union initiated an antidumping investigation on ceramic tiles from India and Turkey, the European Commission said in a Dec. 13 notice. Specifically, the commission will look into "ceramic flags and paving, hearth or wall tiles; ceramic mosaic cubes and the like, whether or not on a backing; finishing ceramic," following an allegation from the European Ceramic Tile Manufacturers' Association that imports of the subject goods are harming the European industry. The investigation will cover exports from the two countries into the EU for the period July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and the United Kingdom's Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said they want to consult on steel and aluminum early next year, "with a view to combating global excess capacity and addressing outstanding concerns on US tariffs and UK rebalancing measures," according to a U.K. readout of the visit Dec. 8. It said that Trevelyan invited Raimondo to London for those further talks in January.

The European Union imposed a definitive antidumping duty on aluminum converter foil from China, the European Commission said Dec. 8. The duty applies to aluminum "converter foil of a thickness of less than 0,021 mm, not backed, not further worked than rolled, in rolls of a weight exceeding 10 kg" and includes exclusions for five products that are all various types of aluminum household foil. Rates will apply to Jiangsu Zhongji Lamination Materials Co. at 28.5%; Xiamen Xiashun Aluminium Foil Co., 15.4%; Yantai Donghai Aluminium Foil Co., 24.7%; and other cooperating companies listed in the Annex, 23.6%. All other companies will be assigned a 28.5% AD rate. Aluminum is an "important commodity on the EU market with a market value of 630 million Euro," European Commission said, serving the packaging and electric car battery industries, in particular. "The tariffs will help defend EU companies and workers in this sector: the imports of aluminium converter foil from China will no longer enjoy an unfair advantage over the Union industries and will compete on an equal grounding," the commission said.

The European Union will continue imposing antidumping duties on birch plywood from Russia after conducting a changed market conditions investigation, the European Commission said in a Dec. 6 regulation. After the commission imposed the provisional AD duty on the Russian birch plywood in June, several parties complained that a change of market conditions had occurred after the investigation period and that the imposition of the duties would not be justified. The commission said Dec. 3 that an inquiry found that while the EU industry had benefited from market changes, it had not benefited enough to warrant suspending the duties. The decision entered into force Dec. 7.

The European Union started a review of its antidumping and countervailing duty orders on biodiesel from Canada following a Canadian exporting producer's request for an exemption, the European Commission said in a Dec. 7 notice. The review will cover the AD/CVD orders on biodiesel consigned from Canada, "whether declared as originating in Canada or not, for the purposes of determining the possibility of granting an exemption from those measures to one Canadian exporting producer, repealing the anti-dumping duty with regard to imports from that exporting producer and making imports from that exporting producer subject to registration." The exporter, Verbio Diesel Canada Corporation, claims it didn't export the product under review to the EU during the investigation period.

John Butler, CEO of the World Shipping Council, said ocean carriers are getting mixed messages from the White House, which is encouraging carriers and ports to rev up their leverage on buyers and freight forwarders so that they pick up their cargo promptly, and from Congress. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on an Ocean Shipping Reform Act that would give the Federal Maritime Commission more authority to punish players for unreasonable demurrage charges -- the same fees used as leverage.

The United Kingdom extended the countervailing duty on rainbow trout from Turkey from Jan. 30, 2021, to Jan. 30, 2026, the Department for International Trade said in a Nov. 30 notice. The duties apply to "rainbow trout live, fresh, chilled, frozen or smoked whether in the form of whole fish (with heads and gills on), gutted, weighing 1.2kg or less each, or with heads off, gilled or gutted (weighing 1kg or less each), or in the form of fillets (weighing 400g or less each)," with duties varying between 1.5% and 9.5%.