Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 13 September 2013 —
Cixi Jiangnan Chemical Fiber and Others v Council

(Case T‑537/08)

Dumping — Imports of polyester staple fibres originating in China — Maintenance of anti-dumping duties following a partial interim review — Action for annulment — Direct and individual concern — Admissibility — Equal treatment and non-discrimination — Article 9(5) and Article 21(1) of Regulation (EC) No 384/96 (now Article 9(5) and Article 21(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009)

1.                     Actions for annulment — Natural or legal persons — Measures of direct and individual concern to them — Regulation imposing anti-dumping duties — Producer and exporter undertakings identified in the regulation or concerned by the preliminary investigations — Admissibility (Art. 263, fourth para., TFEU; Council Regulation No 893/2008) (see paras 22-29)

2.                     Common commercial policy — Protection against dumping — Principle of equal treatment in relation to imports from various countries — Scope in relation to products from various countries, all of which dumped, but some concerned by a re-examination procedure of a definitive duty and others by an initial investigation (Agreement on the implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ‘1994 Anti-dumping Agreement’, Art. 9.2; Council Regulations No 384/96, Arts 5, 9(2) and (5), 11(3), and 21, No 428/2005, No 893/2008 and No 1225/2009, Arts 5, 9(2) and (5), 11(3), and 21; Commission Decision 2007/430) (see paras 41-45, 47-52)

Re:

ACTION for annulment of Council Regulation (EC) No 893/2008 of 10 September 2008 maintaining the anti-dumping duties on imports of polyester staple fibres originating in Belarus, the People’s Republic of China, Saudi Arabia and Korea following a partial interim review pursuant to Article 11(3) of Regulation (EC) No 384/96 (OJ 2008 L 247, p. 1), as regards the applicants.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action as inadmissible in so far as it has been brought by Cixi Santai Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd, Cixi Sansheng Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd, NingBo Dafa Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd, Zhejiang Waysun Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd and Zhejiang Anshun Pettechs Fibre Co. Ltd;

2. Dismisses the action as unfounded in so far as it has been brought by Cixi Jiangnan Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd, Jiangyin Changlong Chemical Fibre Co. Ltd and Xiake Color Spinning Co. Ltd;

3. Orders Cixi Jiangnan Chemical Fiber, Cixi Santai Chemical Fiber, Cixi Sansheng Chemical Fiber, Jiangyin Changlong Chemical Fibre, NingBo Dafa Chemical Fiber, Xiake Color Spinning, Zhejiang Waysun Chemical Fiber and Zhejiang Anshun Pettechs Fibre to bear their own costs and to pay, jointly and severally, those incurred by the Council of the European Union;

4. Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs.