The European Union has extended anti-dumping measures in place for glass fibre reinforcements originating from China for a further five years.
Industry association Glass Fibre Europe (GFE) welcomed this step, which is considered essential for the survival of the European industry.
Over the last decade, the European market has been flooded with subsidised glass fibre products from Chinese producers, both originating from China and newly established facilities outside China.
The latter started glass fibre production after the first European trade defence measures entered into force – specifically to access the Union market without paying the duties on imports from China.
Alarmingly, Chinese overcapacity is currently twice the total European market demand for glass fibre reinforcements, posing a major challenge to European industry.
Glass Fibre Europe Secretary General, Cédric Janssens, said: “The extension of the anti-dumping measures on glass fibre reinforcements from China sends a strong message: the European Union is committed to preserving fair trade practices and protecting the interests of its domestic industries.
“These and new measures are necessary to protect the European glass fibre sector, to ensure its viability and to enable it to play a vital role in the strategic value chains that are essential for achieving Europe’s net-zero, REPowerEU and resilience objectives.”
He added that further action will be needed in the future to fully restore a level playing field with Chinese companies.
The association and its members are united in their support for the EU’s commitment to fair trade practices and will continue to work closely with policy makers and stakeholders to ensure the long-term viability and sustainable growth of the European glass fibre industry value chain.
