Import trade measures published during the summer, you may be concerned!

One of the tasks of the European Commission is to protect its market and producers; The most well-known measures are tariff measures, i.e. a tax which adds to the common customs duties to curb imports from foreign suppliers using unfair prices. These include anti-dumping duties (targeting certain suppliers in some countries) and countervailing duties (targeting countries that subsidize suppliers).

There are several announcements made through the EU Official Journals during the summer period:

Notices of initiation of anti-dumping proceedings The initiation of the investigation follows a disclosure by Union producers of foreign suppliers that are priced below EU market prices, resulting in unfair competition. The investigation, which takes place over a period of 12 to 14 months, often results in the introduction of an anti-dumping duty. Among the main summer announcements:

• Polyamide yarn originating in China
• Terephthalic acid originating in Korea and Mexico
• Pea protein originating in China

Establishment of anti-dumping or provisional countervailing duties These are additional duties which must be secured through import declarations pending the results of the EU investigation. These provisional duties apply where unfair competition practices appear to be critical for European industry. At the end of the investigation, the duties are either definitively collected or the sureties lifted if the findings do not lead to their implementation.

The introduction of definitive anti-dumping or countervailing duties The majority of the announcements this summer were about these additional duties, which were put in place at the end of the investigations to restore reasonable prices at EU entry. Many products and origins have been affected, such as:

• Pipe fittings originating in South Korea, Malaysia, Russia
• Certain aluminium foil and steel products originating in China
• Epoxide resins originating in China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea
• Wood flooring and decorative paper originating in China
• Certain types of polyethylene originating in India

Notices of expiry These are measures which must be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026 and for which the European Commission encourages Union producers to submit a request for review in writing if they consider that the removal of the measures would again lead to unfair competition from foreign countries and suppliers. These publications include:

• Citric acid originating in China and Malaysia
• Monosodium glutamate originating in China and Indonesia
• Aluminium extruded products originating in China
• Certain iron or steel tubes and pipes originating in China, Russia and Belarus

Lhe notice of initiation of investigations following expiry measures : These publications respond to requests from European producers and may lead to the introduction of new anti-dumping measures, despite the expected expiry; This is the case with solar glazing originating in China.

Each publication presents the relevant customs nomenclatures and details of the targeted suppliers. You will find this information directly in the publications on the European Commission website. 

Finally, to know precisely the rates of duty applicable to your products, the benchmark RITA from the French Customs allows you to perform simulations.