WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3839/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Exemption of gauze from anti-dumping duties
C 158/194 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 5. 98 Current and future research and policy development in the Commission will deepen the understanding not only of the physicochemical nature of particulate matter in urban air, but also of the causal relationship between vehicle exhaust emissions and human health and consider the need for further targeting of measures to reduce emissions, including the possible application of regulatory standards for new pollutants and the use of new measuring techniques. (1) COM(97) 500. (2) COM(96) 248 final. (3) COM(97) 627. (98/C 158/263) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3839/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (5 December 1997) Subject: Exemption of gauze from anti-dumping duties The Commission has opened a new procedure for anti-dumping duties on imports of unbleached cotton textile manufactured in Egypt, India, Indonesia, China, Pakistan and Turkey. According to the Commission statement the product being dumped is unbleached cotton pile fabric with a cotton content of at least 85% by weight intended principally for the clothing, linen and furniture industries. Strangely enough, gauze for medical dressings was exempted from the anti-dumping duties. This is encouraging the import of millions of square metres of gauze from India threatening to destroy completely the Greek gauze industry and deal a serious blow to cotton producers in the Union. By way of information Greece consumes 20 million square metres of gauze per year, that is to say 650 tonnes of cotton fibre or 2600 tonnes of unginned cotton. The disappearance of the Greek gauze industry will mean laying to waste 860 hectares of land currently used for cotton cultivation and will put at least 500 Greeks out of work. Can the Commission give us the reasons for exempting medical gauze from anti-dumping duties and what action it intends to take before the Greek gauze industry disappears completely, reducing its workers to unemployment? Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (23 December 1997) As mentioned in the written question, the Commission, on 11 July 1997, initiated an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of unbleached cotton fabrics originating in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey. This proceeding was initiated following a written complaint by the cotton and allied textile industries (Eurocoton), on behalf of the Community industry. The complaint covered all flat unbleached grey cotton fabrics, containing at least 85% cotton. It specifically excluded fabrics for the manufacture of bandages, dressing and medical gauze. It should further be noted that in the previous proceeding concerning unbleached cotton fabrics, it was concluded that medical gauze should be considered as a product different to flat unbleached grey cotton fabrics in view of its different physical characteristics, use and consumer perception. In view of this finding, and after an examination of the prima facie evidence submitted in the current complaint, the Commission decided to open an anti-dumping investigation into alleged injurious dumping practices referring to the product as presented in this complaint. Should the Community gauze industry › including the Greek manufacturers › be suffering from any injurious dumping practice, a complaint can be submitted to the Commission, including prima facie evidence of injurious dumping. If after an assessment of the information presented it were to be apparent that there is sufficient evidence to initiate a proceeding, the Commission would do so within a period of 45 days after the lodging of the complaint