Ukraine’s economic development and trade ministry says it will support national pipemakers against measures that restrict their access to export markets.

During a meeting last week with economic development and trade deputy minister Natalia Mykolska, Ukrainian pipemakers expressed their concern over Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) anti-dumping duties. The pipe producers said the 18.9-37.8% duties imposed on various types of Ukrainian pipe prevent them from competing in the EEU. The measures are currently being reviewed after a request from Ukrainian pipe mills.

“It is important for us to counteract measures that restrict the access of Ukrainian pipe products to foreign markets,” Mykolska said in a note following the meeting. “We will therefore consider the possibility of protecting the rights and interests of Ukraine in the trade and economic sphere within the framework of the mechanisms provided for in the WTO agreements.”

Measures blocking the access of Ukrainian pipe, especially to traditional markets such as Kazakhstan and Belarus, are “…artificial and do not conform to the norms of international trade law established by the World Trade Organization,” the ministry observes.

In July Ukrainian pipemaker Interpipe praised the US decision to prolong the suspension of anti-dumping duties on imports of some Ukraine-origin OCTG (see Kallanish 17 July).