January 15, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 14, 1426

ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: The European Commission has postponed to early next month the finalization of the revised disclosure of the interim review of the anti-dumping duty on Pakistan’s bedlinen.

Informed sources told Dawn on Saturday that the European Union Committee was scheduled to finalize the revise anti-dumping duty or suspended or removed on Pakistan’s bedlinen on January 12, 2006.

According to the sources, the local manufacturers of bedlinen had again raised the issue with the EC authorities that despite the anti-dumping duty, there was an increase in imports of bedlinen from Pakistan.

The sources said that major increase in import of bedlinen into EU was recorded from India and China as compared to Pakistan following the imposition of dumping duty.

Pakistan’s export of bedlinen registered a nominal growth during the month of December 2005 to EU because of the Christmas season and importers cleared at a custom duty of around 25 per cent.

The eight bedlinen exporters had already submitted their comments on the revised disclosure of the interim review to European Commission (EC) latest by January 9, 2006.

The sources said it was now expected that the EU member states would vote on the suspension or removal or finalization of revise disclosure of the anti-dumping duty on Pakistan’s bedlinen in February 2006.

The EC revised national average dumping duty to 7.6 per cent on import of bedlinen for Pakistani exporters who cooperated with the EC investigative authorities other than the eight specific exporters.

While in case of others, who did not cooperate or filled the questionnaire as well as new exporters would be subjected to the dumping duty of 12.7 per cent as against the previous 17.1 per cent duty along with MFN duty.

Under the EU normal generalized system of preferences (GSP) scheme effective from January 1, 2006 the MFN duty for Pakistan has been reduced to 9.6 per cent from the current 12 per cent.