In a letter, dated 8 October, the European Bicycle Manufacturers’ Assocation (EBMA) has informed the European Commisson that they wish to withdraw their request for registration of imports.

EBMA had introduced this request earlier this year, upon which the Commission published a Regulation on 2 May 2018 in which they confirmed the registration. This created the possibility for retroactive collection of duties between 4 May and 19 July 2018. In that period quite a number of European companies still had containers on the water. To them, the potential retroactive collection of duties hung like a sword of Damocles over their head.

To officially end the registration, the Commission must publish a new Regulation. That publication would finally put an end to potential retroactive collection, which would come as a huge relief to many companies in Europe.

The EBMA letter comes shortly after the third hearing the Collective of European Importers of Electric Bicycles had with the Commission. In that hearing, they presented the Collective’s calculations on the injury to importers directly resulting from the proceeding itself. According to the Collective’s estimates, that injury amounts to an average of € 605,000 per company. Based on a very conservative assumption of around 150 importing companies in Europe, that would mean that the total injury caused by the proceedings alone already amounts to more than € 90 million. This amount does not include provisional duties or potential retroactive collection.

It is unclear whether there is a link between the Collective’s statements on injury at the hearing and EBMA’s decision to withdraw the request for registration. It will, in any case, come as a great relief for many companies.