BERLIN (Sputnik) — A probe by the Department of Commerce found Thursday that imports by two German steel makers had been dumping steel plate in the US market and calculated higher duty rates for them, as well as for firms from Austria, Belgium, France and Italy.
"We Europeans cannot accept this. The EU must now consider whether it, too, will lodge a complaint with the WTO," Gabriel said in a statement.
The minister accused Washington of trying to provide US companies with "unfair competitive advantages" over their European rivals in the steel industry using methods that violate WTO rules.
This is the first anti-dumping investigation conducted by the new US administration in the steel sector, Gabriel said, suggesting other industrial sectors could be on the line.
