The Industrial Forum (IF) commends the European Commission’s recent imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties on optical fibre cables imported from several Indian manufacturers, which Europacable also recently supported. This decisive action underscores the EU’s commitment to maintaining fair trade practices and protecting its industrial sectors from unfair competition.
The European optical fibre cable industry has long been a global leader, renowned for its technological innovation, quality, and capacity. However, the influx of underpriced imports from certain Indian manufacturers has posed significant challenges, undermining the competitiveness of producers in Europe and threatening jobs within the sector. The EU Commission’s investigation revealed that these imports were being dumped into the EU market at unfairly low prices, causing material injury to the European fibre industry. In response, in May 2024 the EU Commission imposed anti-dumping duties ranging from 8.7% to 11.4% on nearly a dozen Indian optical fibre cable makers while exempting imports from HFCL Ltd and its subsidiary HTL Ltd.
Anti-dumping measures are essential to counteract unfair trade practices distorting market dynamics. By imposing these duties, the EU aims to restore a level playing field, ensuring that competition is based on quality and innovation rather than artificially low prices resulting from dumping. This move is consistent with previous actions, such as the EU’s decision in August 2023 to double anti-dumping duties on Chinese optical fibre cables, with rates ranging from 39.4% to 88%, to counteract price undercutting by Chinese exporters.
The EU’s stance reflects a broader commitment to enforcing international trade rules and protecting its industries from unfair competition. This action sends a clear message that the EU will not tolerate practices that harm its industrial base and will take necessary measures to uphold fair trade principles. It also aligns with similar actions taken by other countries; for instance, the UK has proposed new measures to tackle the dumping of optical fibre cables to protect its domestic industry.
The Industrial Forum fully supports the European Commission’s and Europacable’s decisive action to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on certain Indian optical fibre cable imports. This measure is a vital step towards ensuring fair competition, protecting European industries, and maintaining the integrity of the fibre cable market. We remain committed to advocating for policies that uphold fair trade and support the growth and sustainability of European industrial sectors.