The European Union on October 14 initiated an anti-dumping investigation on imports of monoethylene glycol (MEG) from Saudi Arabia and the US. The probe follows a complaint by producers representing 25% of the EU’s total MEG production submitted to the European Commission in late August. These producers argued that imports from Saudi Arabia and the US had negatively impacted the market share of regional manufacturers.
The anti-dumping probe covers a period spanning from July 1, 2019, to June 31, 2020. It also covers a period of January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2020, relevant for the assessment of the extent of the impact. Initial measures will be announced by May next year.
Saudi Arabia is the EU’s largest MEG supplier, accounting for more than 60% of the bloc’s total imports of 518,000 tons last year. Meanwhile, the US exported 219,000 tons of MEG to the EU in 2019, more than double the volume in 2018. In the first half of 2020, US MEG exports to the EU reached 154,000 tons.
