EU: New Crackdown on Chinese Imports from June 2026

Domino Effect on International Trade. In mid-May 2026, the European Commission introduced a draft reform aimed at tightening trade defense measures against Chinese imports, specifically targeting additional industrial sectors (Politico EU Trade, May 15, 2026). Initial decisions are expected during the European Council in June, with direct repercussions for freight forwarders, Authorized Economic Operators (AEO), and export managers.

Expansion of the Trade Defense Scope

According to an internal memo revealed by Politico EU Trade (May 15, 2026), the Directorate-General for Trade of the Commission has received a mandate to develop a "more assertive and effective" policy to respond to pressure from Chinese trade flows impacting entire segments of European industry. In addition to existing instruments (antidumping, countervailing duties), Brussels now aims to broaden the scope of safeguard investigations. The document notes that “additional sectors could soon be subject to safeguard investigations” ("des secteurs supplémentaires pourraient prochainement faire l’objet d’enquêtes de sauvegarde"), beyond steel and ferroalloys, which are already under tariff quotas.

This strategic shift represents a hardening of the EU’s approach: the Union wants to be able to swiftly impose quotas or additional duties as soon as subsidized competition threatens the viability of European industries. This comes against a backdrop of a worsening trade deficit with China, which reached €360 billion in 2025 (Eurostat, cited by DW.com, May 13, 2026).

New Targeted Sectors: Chemicals and Materials

The chemical industry is at the forefront of monitored sectors. Since March 11, 2026, the Commission has launched an antidumping investigation on imports of butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate from China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United States. According to ICIS (May 12, 2026), the imported volume of these products plummeted by 34% in value in 2025, driven by falling prices and an oversaturated European market. “The risk of retroactive measures is causing importers to limit shipments, fearing duties of 50% or more on volumes already customs cleared,” an operator told ICIS.

The sector still recalls the imposition of definitive duties on adipic acid imports (29.1% to 42.3% as per JOUE L 274 of October 29, 2025) and glyoxylic acid (29.2% to 124.9%) in 2025. The Commission also placed measures on several epoxy resin segments and is closely monitoring Vietnamese PET, whose demand collapsed under threat of retroactivity. Importers must account for the risk of retroactive taxation for up to 90 days prior to the introduction of provisional measures, as outlined in Article 10(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 on antidumping.

Timeline and Implementation Modalities

The European Council is set to debate the reform proposal at its June 2026 session. Industry professionals anticipate an acceleration of automatic registrations as soon as an investigation is opened, enabling the Commission to swiftly address imports with retroactive duties. The investigation timeline for acrylates is telling: initiated March 11, 2026, automatic registration of flows, provisional measures expected by November 12, 2026, and definitive duties scheduled for May 11, 2027 (ICIS).

Declarants must indicate the exact tariff classification and origin during operations under investigation, or risk reassessment. Bonded warehouse operators, facing uncertainty over goods status, should allocate at-risk consignments under customs suspension until the final regime is determined. AEOs anticipate stricter documentary checks on relevant Chinese flows.

Operational Impact for the Sector

Importers and freight forwarders specializing in China-EU traffic must include a clause for increased duties in contracts, in addition to customs value adjustment clauses. Special attention is required for managing inventory in customs warehouses and scheduling arrivals for products under investigation. In cases of retroactivity, supplementary duties apply to goods imported up to 90 days before the adoption of the provisional regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/1036, art. 10(4)).

The industry also highlights the risk of retaliatory measures from China. Beijing adopted stricter supply chain controls in April and could levy sanctions against companies cooperating with European restrictions (DW.com, May 13, 2026).

The European strategy aims to widen the regulatory net to new industrial sectors, with initial operational measures expected as early as the second half of 2026 (Politico EU Trade, ICIS).

Sources: [Politico EU Trade, May 15, 2026 - https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-commission-reduce-economic-dependence-chinese-trade-plan/] · [ICIS, May 12, 2026 - https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2026/05/12/11206536/butyl-a-2-eha-imports-into-europe-stifled-by-add-worries] · [DW.com, May 13, 2026 - https://www.dw.com/en/chinas-new-rules-give-the-west-a-new-headache/a-77075741]