SteelOrbis has heard that some members of the Italian steel distribution association, Assofermet, have formed the Consortium for Imports of Hot Rolled Flats (CIHRF) to represent the interests of European primary and secondary users of hot rolled coils (HRC), "with the aim of protecting their freedom to source these products from third countries".
According to market sources, the recent news about the antidumping duty case launched by the EU against the hot rolled coil imports from Brazil, Iran, Russia, Ukraine and Serbia raised concerns among the Italian steel distributors. They did not find any real reason for this case and they are worried that this should open the door to other trade cases against other countries like India, Turkey and South Korea.
The CIHRF aims to set up a common position against the adoption of antidumping measures on imports of hot rolled coils originating in the countries concerned by the investigation, to lay down a common defense strategy within the framework of the investigation and to keep the members informed about the implications and effects of the investigation.
Tommaso Sandrini, Assofermet steel division president, said that Italian distributors are showing great interest in joining the consortium, warning that this antidumping duty investigation poses a risk of creating another problem which is the possibility of European producers becoming an oligopoly, while trying to prevent inflow of imported products.