VILNIUS - Two TV-related manufacturers have said they intend to appeal to the Euorpean Commission as a way of combatting what they claim is unfair competition from Southeast Asian competitors.
Vilniaus Vingis, one of Europe's leading deflection yoke producers, and Ekranas, a major color-picture tube manufacturer, have both suffered from a downturn on the European market. They said they hoped the EC would bring charges of unfair competition against Asian manufacturers.
Ekranas has almost completed an application to the EC over the initiation of an anti-dumping case against Asian manufacturers, Angelija Zokaitiene, Ekranas' spokeswoman, said.
"We have to collect as many opinions from the manufacturers of identical products as possible. Then the application will be accepted and the investigation, which will predetermine the charges, will be carried out," Zokaitiene said.
Color-picture tube producers in Asia delivered about 6 million less expensive picture tubes to the EU market without any reservations last year, Zokaitiene pointed out. Vladislovas Cybas, Vilniaus Vingis marketing director, said, "We hope to have the decisions made in a couple of months. Introduction of duties for Asia's producers would put everything in its place."
Ekranas first spoke of its intentions to bring dumping charges against TV producers from China, India, Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico in 2004.
The EC brought an anti-dumping case against the Lithuanian manufacturer in 1999 on the basis of a complaint by Philips, Ekranas' main competitor. Commission experts, however, closed the case in 2000 after the anti-dumping probe found no violation of fair competition regulations.
