The EU Commission Is Set to Impose Duties

The EU commission is set to impose duties on tiles imported from China at a meeting of EU government officials later this week. European manufacturers made a complaint to the European Union in June 2010 following an increase in imports of 142% from Chinese manufacturers between 2005 and 2009. Tilezine understands that provisional tariffs will range from 26% up to 73%, with many Chinese manufacturers paying the highest rate. Duties must be launched by March 18 and can stay in place for up to six months while the Commission considers whether to impose definitive duties, which would be valid for five years. Renaud Batier, MD of the European Manufacturers Association, CET, said "the profitability of EU tiles producers is estimated to have dropped from around 7% in 2005 to close to 0% in 2009 as a result of the increase in Chinese imports." Sources in the EU have commented "Europe's ceramics industry has been looking for years for ways to attack growing imports from China, so it's not surprising the duties are quite high" Source: tilezine.co.uk