* EU diplomats vote for anti-dumping duties on Chinese candles * Duties of 60 pct will remain in place for up to five years * EU ministers must approve duties before coming into force
By Darren Ennis
BRUSSELS, April 6 (Reuters) - A key European Union trade panel voted on Tuesday to impose long-term anti-dumping duties of up to 60 percent on imports of Chinese-made candles into the EU, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
"The procedure went through, it's now up to the ministers to decide, " one source told Reuters.
If the duties are approved by ministers from the 27-nation bloc later this month -- normally a simple rubber-stamping exercise -- they will remain in place for up to five years.
In November, the EU executive -- which oversees trade policy for the 27-nation bloc -- imposed "provisional" duties for six months, irritating trade relations with Beijing and angering many European retailers such as Swedish furniture maker Ikea, Tesco and Metro.
Chinese candles account for around 300 million euros of the EU market, worth over 800 million euros per year. (Reporting by Darren Ennis, editing by Mark John)