Sometimes foreign companies that want access to the EU market sell their products at abnormally low prices: lower than the prices charged for home consumption, which harms European producers. Dumping prices can be because of lack of competition in the country where the product was produced, heavy state interference in the production process or even because the company in question disregarded international labour and environmental standards.



To counter dumped imports the EU can impose anti-dumping duties. On 20 June, Parliament’s trade committee voted in favour of updating the rules that regulate when and how those duties can be imposed to better reflect the realities of international trade, including WTO rules for trade between China and rest of the world. Now MEPs will enter into negotiations with the Council and the European Commission to agree on a final text that will have to be approved by the Parliament before it can enter into force.



Italian EPP member Salvatore Cicu, who is responsible for steering the plans through Parliament, said: "It is not protectionism, but it's an instrument which, takes into consideration the necessity of having free market competition and at the same time considers the need for fairer conditions."



China is the EU's second-biggest trading partner behind the United States while the EU is China's biggest trading partner.



The EU has currently more than 40 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on various steel products, with the highest number concerning imports from China.