Victory against all odds
anti-dumping duties imposed on India by the European Union (eu) have been declared inconsistent with free trade rules, by the World Trade Organisation (wto). Starting from 1997, eu had imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of cotton bed linen from Egypt, Pakistan and India. "eu should formulate its trade policies in accordance with its obligation,' says wto . According to wto 's Dispute Settlement Body, eu had imposed the duties without evaluating all relevant economic factors regarding the impact of dumped imports on its domestic industry. Based on its findings, the Dispute Settlement Body has directed eu to formulate its policies in conformity with its obligations under wto rules. eu has been also directed to refund the duties collected earlier. Duty-free Indian cotton bed linen will now have an access to the eu market. " wto' s decision will affect other eu cases on anti-dumping,' Kashiram Rana, Union minister of textiles said.