BRUSSELS - The European Commission decided on Tuesday to formally cancel the anti-dumping duties imposed on Chinese lighters, a move that will take effect on Dec 12.

BIC, a disposable pocket lighter manufacturer based in France, filed a petition to the EC for extending the anti-dumping measures on Chinese lighter makers by another five years. The petition has been denied.

The EC said that Chinese lighter makers do not pose a threat to their counterparts in the EU, citing the fact that BIC's profits enjoyed its biggest surge on record this year.

The EU started its anti-dumping probe on Chinese lighters in April 1990 and made final ruling in November 1991. The punitive anti-dumping duties against Chinese lighters have been in place for 21 years.

In 2003, major Chinese lighter producers won an anti-dumping suit launched by the European Federation of Lighter Manufacturers, the first victory that Chinese firms have won against anti-dumping action filed by European firms since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

This case started on May 14, 2002, when EFLM alleged that imports of Chinese-made lighters violated anti-dumping laws, a charge the Chinese side strongly denied.

The global annual sales of lighters are about 11 billion, worth of 3.1 billion euros ($4 billion).