The EU Commission proposes increase in anti-dumping duties on Chinese tableware

Confindustria Ceramica backs the new measure as essential for tackling unfair trade practices.

In an official statement, Confindustria Ceramica has expressed its support for the European Commission’s proposal to increase anti-dumping duties on imports of ceramic tableware from China. According to the association, which represents all sectors of Italian ceramic production, including tableware and porcelain:

“this measure is essential to combat unfair practices that create anti-competitive distortions and have been damaging European manufacturing for years, resulting in the closure of more than 60 companies and the loss of nearly 10,000 jobs across Europe.”

The issue of anti-dumping duties in the tableware sector is not new. First introduced by the EU in 2012-2013, they were renewed in 2019 following an investigation that revealed the persistence of unfair practices, including attempts to circumvent duties by rerouting exports through third countries.

The latest investigation, conducted in 2025 in accordance with WTO rules, led the Commission to propose an anti-dumping duty of 79%, significantly higher than the current rate of between 13.1% and 36.1%. This decision follows the discovery of astonishingly high levels of dumping among Chinese imports (as high as 446.5%).

According to Confindustria Ceramica:

“Failing to stop Chinese dumping would mean encouraging a business model based on importing products sold at prices that are incompatible with European industrial costs.”

The statement notes that the proposed duty protects not only European tableware manufacturers and the skilled jobs they provide, but also the entire supply chain, an ecosystem that includes artistic ceramics, design firms, ceramic pigments, advanced technological processes and suppliers of precious metals for decoration, which together employ around 5,000 people.

As Confindustria Ceramica board member Amedeo Sala points out:

“An industrial model built on economic, social and environmental dumping threatens to hollow out our manufacturing base and lead to a loss of expertise. Furthermore, the disappearance of Italian and European production would ultimately deprive consumers of the ability to choose within a truly competitive market.”