Duties on low energy light bulbs come to an end, but EU manufacturers request another extension
EuroCommerce, GRTU's representative in Brussels, warmly welcomes the decision by Osram to withdraw its request to extend anti-dumping duties on energy saving CFl-I light bulbs. A large number of those products will be made available to consumers at a lower price so benefiting European consumers.
However, leather footwear manufacturers have requested another extension of the antidumping duties on imports of leather shoes from China.
Both duties were set to end in October 2008, according to compromises agreed by the EU member states last year (on light bulbs) and in 2006 (on shoes). The extension request leaves importers and retailers facing uncertainty. EuroCommerce has urged the European Commission and the Member States to refrain from extending the duties, highlighting the importance of consumer prices, predictability and legal certainty.
In the light bulbs case, EuroCommerce had also reminded the EU of the need for consistency between environmental, energy and trade policies, recommending the creation of incentives for the imports of environmentally-friendly products rather than penalising them.