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BRUSSELS, Belgium (BRAIN)–The European Union’s trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has retreated from his initiative to radically reduce the European Union’s use of trade defense instruments—including such things as its current anti-dumping duties on Chinese- and Vietnamese-made bicycles.

The president of the European Bicycle Manufacturers Association Brian Montgomery could not be more delighted.

“The Mandelson green paper has been withdrawn by Mr. Mandelson with no changes to the anti-dumping,” Montgomery said.

“The decision that he’s taken has in fact been pushed on him by the degree of opposition, not least from the bicycle industry. We’re very happy—extremely happy—because we have a situation where the rules are not going to be altered one little bit, exactly what we were lobbying for,” he said.

Mandelson initiated the green paper—EU jargon for an investigative process—last year, taking written and verbal testimony on the potential for removing, reducing or simplifying the use of trade defense instruments, which include anti-dumping duties, quotas on imports and similar measures.

Montgomery and others from Europe’s domestic bicycle manufacturing industry vehemently protested, along with representatives from other European domestic producers of a wide range of products.

The European Union imposes anti-dumping duties of 48.5 percent on Chinese-made bicycles and 34.5 percent on most Vietnamese-made bicycles.

—John Crenshaw