AD: Italy Stainless Steel Wire Rod

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated and is issuing its preliminary results of an antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of stainless steel wire rod from Italy.

The ITA preliminarily determines that: (1) Acciaierie Valbruna S.p.A. (Valbruna S.p.A.) is the successor-in-interest to Acciaierie Valbruna S.r.l. (Valbruna S.r.l.) and its subsidiary Acciaierie Bolzano S.p.A. (Bolzano S.p.A.), a respondent in the AD investigation; and (2) merchandise from Acciaierie Valbruna S.p.A. should be excluded from the AD duty order because the evidence indicates that Valbruna S.p.A. has the same corporate structure and operations as Valbruna S.r.l./Bolzano S.p.A.

As a result, the ITA states that if these preliminary results are adopted in its final results of this changed circumstances review, it will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to liquidate, without regard to AD duties, all entries of subject merchandise with a time of entry on or after December 16, 1998, the date of Valbruna S.r.l.'s name change to Valbruna S.p.A.

(The ITA notes that on September 15, 1998, Valbruna S.r.l. and its affiliate Bolzano S.p.A. were excluded from the AD duty order because their AD dumping margin was de minimis. On January 26, 2006, Valbruna S.p.A. submitted a written request to the ITA to conduct a changed circumstances review in order to clarify for CBP that Valbruna S.p.A. is the successor-in-interest to Valbruna S.r.l./Bolzano S.p.A. and that subject merchandise produced by this entity should not be subject to AD duties.)

Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

(See ITA notice for more information, including the scope of the order, etc.)

ITA Italy Notice (FR Pub 03/20/06) available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/E6-3990.pdf