The European Commission has informed Vietnamese authorities of a complaint requesting the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation into hot rolled coil (HRC) imports from Vietnam. The Commission has asked Vietnam’s Mission to the EU to review a list of exporting producers identified in the complaint and provide contact details for any relevant mills not listed by August 5. If the Commission decides to proceed, it will publish a notice of initiation.

Vietnam was among the origins of HRC whose EU tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocation was capped at 15% or 141,850 tonnes per quarter, effective July 1. This followed the exhaustion of the “other country” TRQ immediately after opening in multiple quarters. HRC supply from Vietnam to the EU surged 181% year-on-year in 2023 to 1.13 million tonnes.

If the EU implements an anti-dumping duty on Vietnamese HRC, even the quota permitted to enter the EU duty-free each quarter would be subject to a tariff. This development coincides with Vietnam launching an anti-dumping investigation into HRC originating from China and India. Vietnam imported 4.52 million tonnes of HRC from January to May, with 3.3 million tonnes coming from China. In 2023, these figures were 8.37 million tonnes and 5.37 million tonnes, respectively. Low-priced Chinese supply into Asian markets has displaced steel from those markets into destinations such as the EU. Meanwhile, India is reportedly considering launching a probe into HRC imports from Vietnam and China.