BELGIUM - The European Commission has launched an official probe into potential evasion of EU anti-dumping rules by Russian birch plywood producers and traders.

This inquiry seeks to verify the true origin of imports from Kazakhstan and Turkey to the EU, as these countries were not significant birch plywood producers previously.

After anti-dumping duties were imposed on Russian producers in 2021 and import sanctions were enforced in 2022 due to Russia's conflict in Ukraine, imports from Kazakhstan and Türkiye surged.

Effective immediately, all imports of this plywood must be registered upon entering the EU. This enables the Commission to retroactively apply extended anti-dumping duties to cases of circumvention.

The EU's actions underscore its commitment to enforcing duties and thwarting attempts to bypass regulations.

Moreover, importing Russian plywood to the EU not only flouts anti-dumping measures but also contravenes sanctions against Russia due to its Ukraine conflict. Since July 2022, Russian plywood is banned from EU markets in compliance with these sanctions.