L 336/6 Official Journal of the European Union 20.12.2011 REGULATIONS COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1331/2011 of 14 December 2011 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and collecting definitively the provisional duty imposed on imports of certain seamless pipes and tubes of stainless steel originating in the People’s Republic of THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009 of 30 November 2009 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Community (') (the basic Regulation) and in particular Article 9 thereof, Having regard to the proposal submitted by the European Commission (the Commission) after having consulted the Advisory Committee, Whereas: A. PROVISIONAL MEASURES (1) The Commission, by Regulation (EU) No 627/2011 (3 (the provisional Regulation) imposed a provisional anti- dumping duty on imports of certain seamless pipes and tubes of stainless steel originating in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). (2)  The proceeding was initiated as a result of a complaint lodged on 16 August 2010 (the complaint) by the Defence Committee of the Seamless Stainless Steel Tubes Industry of the European Union (the Defence Committee) on behalf of two groups of Union producers (the complainants) representing a major proportion, in this case more than 50 % of the total Union production of certain seamless pipes and tubes of stainless steel. (3) It is recalled that, as set out in recital 14 of the provi- sional Regulation, the investigation of dumping and injury covered the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 (‘the investigation period” or ‘IP’). The examination () O] L 343, 22.12.2009, p. 51. () O] L 169, 29.6.2011, p. 1. of trends relevant for the assessment of injury covered the period from 1 January 2006 to the end of the IP (the period considered). B. SUBSEQUENT PROCEDURE Subsequent to the disclosure of the essential facts and considerations on the basis of which it was decided to impose provisional measures (provisional disclosure), several interested parties made written submissions making known their views on the provisional findings. The parties who so requested were granted the oppor- tunity to be heard. The Commission continued to seek information it deemed necessary for its definitive findings. Individual examination With regard to the three claims for individual exam- ination, it has been definitively decided that they could not be granted as they would render the investigation unduly burdensome and would prevent the completion of the investigation in good time. As stated in recital 6 of the provisional Regulation, the Commission had selected a representative sample, covering 25 % of the total imports recorded in Eurostat during the IP and over 38 % of the total volume of the cooperating exporters in the IP. As indicated in recital 13 of the provisional Regulation, two of the three sampled exporting producers constitute large groups. The size of the groups amounted to a particular burden for the present investigation in terms of both the investigative effort as well as analysis. In these circumstances, it was not possible to accommodate the claims for individual exam- ination from additional exporting producers. C. PRODUCT CONCERNED AND LIKE PRODUCT 1. Product concerned It is recalled that, as set out in recital 15 of the provi- sional Regulation, the product concerned is seamless pipes and tubes of stainless steel (excluding such pipes and tubes with attached fittings suitable for conducting gases or liquids for use in civil aircraft), originating in the PRC, currently falling within CN codes 7304 11 00, 7304 22 00, 7304 24 00, ex 7304 41 00, 7304 49 10, ex 7304 49 93, ex 73044995, ex73044999 and ex 7304 90 00 (the product concerned).