EU Imposes CVD on Moroccan Aluminum Road Wheels

The European Commission imposed countervailing duties on aluminum road wheels from Morocco on March 14, setting duties of 5.6% on exporters "benefitting purely from the Moroccan subsidies" and 31.4% on exporters "benefitting from both Moroccan and Chinese [Belt and Road Initiative] financial contributions." The commission said its CVD investigation found that the Moroccan government was providing subsidies to its automotive industry through "grants, loans at preferential rates, and tax exemptions/reductions" that are incompatible with World Trade Organization rules. In addition, the investigation revealed that China made "direct cross-border financial contributions" to one of the two Moroccan exporters in the industry.