The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), Brussels, has sent a letter of complaint to the association of mineral and metal exporters in Turkey, denouncing export restrictions for copper and copper alloy scrap that were imposed in late May.
This complaint was initiated by the Brussels-based nonferrous metals association EUROMETAUX, which has asked BIR for support.
“The unilateral decision of Turkey not to grant licenses to [its] national exporters does not seem to have been published in any official decree; such a protectionist attitude must be condemned, particularly at a time when raw materials are urgently needed everywhere in the world,” states the BIR.
Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization, and thus such restrictions are not acceptable unless they are justified for strategic reasons and negotiated with the WTO, according to the BIR.
“By imposing these restrictions on copper scrap exports, Turkey isolates itself from the international copper scrap market and gives its domestic industry exclusive access to this material,” the BIR states in a news release.
BIR has recently set up an International Trade Council with the main objective of monitoring the international exchanges of scrap and recyclables to detect, and fight against, any trade barrier such as duties, quotas and bans.
EUROMETAUX has filed an official complaint with the EU Commission, expressing its concern on behalf of European copper producers.