6.12.2007 Official Journal of the European Union L 32023 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1434/2007 of 5 December 2007 on initiating an investigation concerning the possible circumvention of anti-dumping measures imposed by Council Regulation (EC) No 2074/2004 on imports of certain ring binder mechanisms originating in the People’s Republic of China by imports of certain ring binder mechanisms consigned from Thailand, whether slightly modified or not and whether declared as originating in Thailand or not, and by imports of certain slightly modified ring binder mechanisms originating in the People’s Republic of China, and making such imports subject to registration THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 384/96 of 22 December 1995 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Community (the basic Regulation’) (1), and in particular Articles 13(3), 14(3) and 14(5) thereof, Whereas: A. REQUEST (1) The Commission has received a request pursuant to Article 13(3) of the basic Regulation to investigate the possible circumvention of the anti-dumping measures imposed on imports of certain ring binder mechanisms originating in the People’s Republic of China. The request was lodged on 22 October 2007 by Ring Alliance Ringbuchtechnik GmbH, a Community producer of certain ring binder mechanisms. B. PRODUCT The product concerned by the possible circumvention is certain ring binder mechanisms originating in the People’s Republic of China, normally declared under CN code ex 830510 00 (the product concerned). For the purpose of this Regulation, certain ring binder mechanisms shall consist of two rectangular steel sheets or wires with at least four half rings made of steel wire fixed on it and which are kept together by a steel cover. They can be opened either by pulling the half rings or with a small steel-made trigger mechanism fixed to the ring binder mechanism. (*) OJ L 56, 6.3.1996, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2117/2005 (O] L 340, 23.12.2005, p. 17). 4 The products under investigation are certain ring binder mechanisms which are slightly modified originating in the People’s Republic of China, normally declared under CN code ex 8305 10 00 (classified previous to the entry into force of this Regulation under TARIC code 8305 10 00 90), and certain ring binder mechanisms, whether slightly modified or not, consigned from Thailand, normally declared under CN code ex 8305 10 00 (classified previous to the entry into force of this Regulation under TARIC codes 8305100019, 8305100029 and 8305 10 00 90) (the products under investigation’). C. EXISTING MEASURES The measures currently in force and possibly being circumvented are anti-dumping measures imposed by Council Regulation (EC) No 2074/2004 (%) as extended to imports of the same product consigned from Vietnam (®) and from Lao People’s Democratic Republic (*). D. GROUNDS The request contains sufficient prima facie evidence that the anti-dumping measures on imports of certain ring binder mechanisms originating in the People’s Republic of China are being circumvented by means of a slight modification of the product concerned to make it fall under custom codes which are normally not subject to the measures, in particular CN code ex 8305 10 00 (clas- sified previous to the entry into force of this Regulation under TARIC code 8305 10 00 90), and that the modi- fication does not alter the essential characteristics of the product concerned. Examples of such slightly modified types are ring binder mechanisms with more than two rectangular steel sheets or wires andfor with chamfered sheets, ring binder mechanisms with two steel sheets the edges of which have been cut off and/or which have indentations so that their shape is no longer rectangular. Furthermore, the request contains sufficient prima facie evidence that the anti-dumping measures on imports of certain ring binder mechanisms originating in the People’s Republic of China are being circumvented by means of transhipment via Thailand of the product concerned, whether slightly modified (in the way described above) or not. () O] L 359, 4.12.2004, p. 11. (}) Council Regulation (EC) No 1208/2004 (O] L 232, 1.7.2004, p. 1). (*) Council Regulation (EC) No 33/2006 (O] L 7, 12.1.2006, p. 1).