EU acts to stop Chinese glass fibre fabrics circumventing EU tariffs via Morocco

The measures follow an investigation which showed that anti-dumping and countervailing duties on GFFs from China were being circumvented by imports consigned from Morocco.

GFFs are used in the composites industry, notably in the production of wind turbine blades. The annual EU consumption of GFF is €300 million, and the EU industry employs more than 2,000 people.

The extension of the measures to Morocco is necessary in order to enforce the trade defence measures in place since April 2020 on imports of GFF from China. The Commission was alerted to the existence of an operation set up by a Chinese manufacturer in Morocco to import glass fibre rovings (the main input material of GFF) from China and further process them in Morocco. The main objective of this operation was to export GFFs to the EU without paying any trade defence duties. The extension of the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties to GFF consigned from Morocco will protect the EU producers of GFF from unfair competition resulting from this type of circumvention.

The original anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures were imposed on imports of GFF from both China and Egypt in April and June 2020, respectively. Imports from both countries were dumped on the EU market. In addition to these dumping practices, China subsidised its own production of GFF. Furthermore, China was also providing subsidies to Chinese companies located in Egypt tthrough a close cooperation with the Egyptian government in order to produce GFF for export to the EU. 

The extension of the measures to imports from Morocco demonstrates that the Commission is fighting unfair trade in all of its forms, including circumvention of duties.

For more information

Extension of Anti-Dumping Measures

Extension of Countervailing Measures   

Regulation on anti-dumping measures on GFF from China and Egypt, April 2020

Regulation on countervailing measures on GFF from China and Egypt, June 2020
EU Trade Defence Policy