Poland wins first World Trade Organization dispute over steel with Thailand

The panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) decided in favor of Poland in a dispute with Thailand regarding anti-dumping customs duties that were imposed on steel products exported from steel mill Huta Katowice (HK). "We had good thoughts about this, though it was the first time Poland called for WTO arbitration," said the deputy director of the Trade Protection department Jan Kafarski. Thailand imposed a 30% anti-dumping custom duty on some steel products of HK at the end of 1996 at the request of company Siam Yamato. "Since the beginning we were saying that we were not selling at dumping prices, but Siam Yamato was not willing to cooperate," said the media office director of HK Jaroslaw Zwolinski. (Prawo i Gospodarka, page 1, 2)