EU Imposes Dumping Tariffs on Chinese Tile-makers

The European Commission has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of ceramic tiles from China.

The move comes following an investigation initiated after a complaint lodged by the European Ceramic Tile Manufacturers' Federation (CET) on behalf of 69 tile producers in the EU, the Commission said.

The duties range between 26.2% and 73% depending on the company and last for six months. They could be prolonged for five years and are intended to punish tile manufacturers from China who sell tiles below cost-price in the EU.

Alfonso Panzani, the president of the CET, said that the duties were not intended to exclude Chinese products from the EU market but "to bring Chinese prices to a fair level, making it possible for ceramic tile production to continue in Europe, and creating the conditions for healthy competition to develop".

He added: "There is no reason why we should be less competitive in Europe than when we export outside of the EU."

The provisional duties apply to glazed and unglazed ceramic flags and paving, hearth or wall tiles and unglazed ceramic mosaic cubes.