The European Plastics Converters (EuPC, Brussels) says it welcomes the move by the European Commission and member states to control imports of plastics bags from China and Thailand into the EU. Unaffected by this measure are the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Assn. (MPMA) and its members, as reported in this newsletter (e-Weekly Oct. 2-6). The European Commission decided on Sept. 25 that plastic sacks and bags imported from Malaysia will not be subjected to antidumping duties.
“A lot of damage has been done to this industry by cheap imports over a long period,” says EuPC Managing Director Alexandre Dangis. “The EU Commission’s proposed duties are at a level just sufficient to create conditions in which [European] companies can survive.” He says complaints from his members started arriving in his office more than six years ago, which spurred on the EuPC to secure the EU Commission’s understanding in the matter.
The plastics bag sector employs more than 50,000 workers across the EU in both production and supply. “The correction of enormous market distortions caused by dumped imports will not only safeguard jobs but may also pave the way for expanding employment in the European Union and for developing more recycling in this industry,” he says.—Robert Colvin; [email protected]
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