13   Maggio   2016

Against MES to China

The European Parliament votes almost unanimously in favour of a bipartisan resolution against granting MES to China.

Confindustria Ceramica thanks Members of the European Parliament for the bipartisan resolution opposing the granting of Market Economy Status to China with a view to protecting European industry and jobs. The European Parliament maintains that “China is not a market economy” and “does not yet meet the five criteria established by the EU to define market economies”.

This is the key passage in the bipartisan resolution supported by the People’s Party (PPE), Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Liberals (ALDE), Conservatives (ECR) and Greens and approved by the European Parliament with 546 votes in favour, 28 votes against and 77 abstentions. The resolution asks the European Commission to keep the anti-dumping mechanisms in place and to oppose any unilateral granting of Market Economy Status.

The European Parliament believes that the methods currently adopted as part of the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy procedures must be maintained to ensure a level playing field in market competition. The resolution calls on the Commission to heed the concerns of industry and other social partners regarding the consequences that the granting of MES would have on employment, the environment and growth due to China’s excessive production capacity and low prices. It also notes that no fewer than 56 of the 73 anti-dumping measures currently in force in Europe apply to Chinese imports.
Finally, the resolution urges the European Commission to seek a shared solution with other commercial partners regarding the interpretation to be given to the WTO’s Anti-Dumping Regulation.

The lobbying action conducted by Confindustria Ceramica in recent weeks and months in cooperation with Confindustria and Cerame-Unie and with the active participation of our members in online consultations on MES has clearly been heeded by the highest European institution.
 “We consider this to be an important step in guiding the policies of the Commission and Council in what for us is the vital issue of maintaining the effectiveness of trade defence instruments,” said Vittorio Borelli, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica. “This is a point in favour of our industry and workers prior to the final decision taken by the European Commission.”