Confindustria Ceramica

15   Novembre   2012

Import duties of Chinese tableware

The European Union imposes definitive duties on imports of Chinese porcelain and ceramic tableware

In a further step towards re-establishing fair competition in the international ceramic tableware market, the Official Journal of the European Union published today the Regulation imposing definitive duties on imports of porcelain and ceramic tableware from China. The duties, which will be in force for the next five years, are set at between 13.1% and 23.4% for Chinese companies that have cooperated with the investigation and at 36.1% for all other companies.

The antidumping procedure was initiated on 16 February 2012 following a complaint made by the leading European Union manufacturers (accounting for more than 50% of the EU ceramic tableware industry), represented and supported by Confindustria Ceramica, the corresponding German association and the Brussels-based European Federation (FEPF). The finding of consistent levels of dumping of Chinese tableware imports to the detriment of European industry followed a rigorous investigation conducted by the European Commission. The lengthy procedure carried through in accordance with WTO rules was based on carefully verified data and involved discussions with all parties involved. The definitive measures, supported by a large majority of Member States, are necessary to re-establish fair competition in keeping with the rules of the market, to prevent unacceptable distortions caused by dumping and to ensure the future of European industry.

The practice of import dumping by Chinese producers has enabled them to gain a significant increase in their share of the EU market (from 22% to more than 65%), to the detriment of the community’s ceramic tableware industry which has lost more than 10,000 jobs over the last 5 years.

“We expect the five-year duties to help restore a situation of free competition and to eliminate the conditions that made the procedure necessary in the first place,” commented Franco Manfredini, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica. “In the meantime, the Italian ceramic tile industry will continue to make every effort to further improve its competiveness through innovation, production quality and style.”

“Introduction of the provisional duties over the last six months has already produced positive results in terms of market trends,” said Riccardo Sala, Confindustria Ceramica Director for the tableware sector. “We hope that the definitive duties will offer the market a degree of certainty regarding the timeframe of the measures and will promote an awareness amongst users of the real value of Italian tableware production.”