EBMA withdraws request for registration of imports

The European Bicycle Manufacturers’ Association (EBMA) has withdrawn its request to the European Commission for the registration of imports.

The original request, made by the EBMA in May, meant that European importers were faced with the potential of retroactive collection of duties, between 4 May and 19 July 2018.

To officially end the registration, the European Commission must publish a new Regulation, which would effectively end any potential retroactive collection.

So what brought about the EBMA’s change of heart?

At a hearing with the European Commission, the Leva-EU-backed Collective of European Importers of Electric Bicycles presented an estimation of the injury to importers resulting from the proceeding itself.

According to the Collective’s estimates, that injury amounted to an average of €605,000 per company. Based on a conservative assumption of around 150 importing companies in Europe, that would mean that the total injury caused by the proceedings alone already amounted to more than €90 million. This amount does not include provisional duties or potential retroactive collection.

According to LEVA-EU, 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.