ISLAMABAD, Aug 15: The European Union is likely to finalize the anti-dumping duty of 13.1 per cent on Pakistan’s bedlinen by the end of the current month. Informed sources told Dawn on Monday that the EU investigating team had sent their report to the European Commission in Brussels for finalizing the much-awaited issue of dumping margin in bedlinen.

The EU investigating team had invited all sample companies to Dubai during the month of May 2005 to review their accounts in order to determine the margin of dumping.

According to the sources, the EU team had compiled their report on the basis of which the EC would announce the final duty on August 28.

Pakistan’s export of bedlinen had declined by more than 30 per cent to the EU during the year 2004-05. However, imports of bedlinen to EU member countries had increased from India and China during the year under review.

The EU had levied an anti-dumping duty on Pakistan’s bedlinen to provide protection to their local industries. But statistics showed that the move has only affected the export from Pakistan, as the imports of bedlinen from other countries increased.

The sources said that a high-level Pakistani delegation would leave later this month for Brussels to meet senior officials of the EU for seeking a reduction in the anti-dumping duty on Pakistani bedlinen.