ISLAMABAD, Oct 5: Eight bedlinen exporters on Wednesday decided to challenge the dumping margin of European Union’s technical team by October 13 before European Commission investigators.

The decision was taken in a meeting headed by Commerce Secretary Syed Asif Shah. The meeting was attended by the eight bedlinen exporters and representatives of textile associations.

An official told Dawn that all the eight exporters received notices from the EC, which indicated the dumping margin of the investigated companies.

The exporters would individually challenge calculations methods, mistakes, concepts and statistics in their respective cases before the commission, added the official.

“We are optimistic that in our cases some how mistakes have been made while calculating the dumping margin. We are hopeful that it would be addressed at the forum,” a leading exporter told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

The EC investigators after hearing the exporters’ view will place the findings before the EU anti-dumping committee for finalization.

The hearing process was expected to be finalized by the first week of December 2005, added the official. The exporters then even challenge the decision of the anti-dumping committee in the court of Luxembourg. They also have the option to directly go and challenge the decision in the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organization.

However, the exporters would decide it after the final report of the anti-dumping committee.