Tariffs: Commission strengthens imports monitoring amid fear of trade diversion

Published connected 05/06/2025 - 17:44 GMT+2•Updated 17:49

The European Commission presented connected Thursday a caller strategy for monitoring imports arriving successful nan EU based connected customs data. It should beryllium complemented by personnel states and EU industries’ information to place import surges coming from overseas countries pursuing US tariffs affecting world trade.

“Recent turbulence successful nan world trading strategy has accrued nan consequence of harmful waste and acquisition diversion - products diverted from precocious tariff markets could find their measurement to Europe,” EU waste and acquisition commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said, adding: "With this caller import surveillance instrumentality we are boosting our capacity to protect our ain interests and extremity surges successful imports diverted to our market."

On 7 April nan Commission announced nan creation of a task unit to show variations successful imports of products arriving successful nan EU since 1 January 2025.

The biggest fearfulness concerns diversion of products coming from China. At nan highest of waste and acquisition confrontation betwixt nan US and China successful April, Washington imposed tariffs of up to 145% connected Chinese goods. However, nan 2 economical giants reached a truce successful May, lowering these duties connected Chinese products to 30%.

According to nan latest figures from Chinese customs, exports from China to nan EU accrued by 8.2% successful April 2025 compared pinch April 2024. At nan personnel authorities level, exports to Germany roseate by 20.4% complete nan aforesaid period, while nan Netherlands saw an summation of 5.6%, Italy 4.7%, and France 2.6%. In nan meantime, Chinese exports to nan US person fallen by 20% complete nan aforesaid period.

The information besides showed a surge successful Chinese exports to South-East Asian countries, pinch Thailand up 28% and Indonesia up 37%.

To take sides itself from excessive waste and acquisition diversion, nan Commission tin edifice to safeguards, which alteration nan EU to limit temporarily imports of a merchandise erstwhile they mightiness origin marketplace distortion. It tin besides enforce anti-dumping duties if a overseas state exports a merchandise astatine a little value than nan value connected its home market.

Trade master Simon Evenett, from nan St Gallen Endowment for Prosperity Through Trade, successful Switzerland, compiled information showing accelerating value falls betwixt January and April 2025 for Chinese automotive and petroleum products, and prices starting falling complete nan aforesaid play for medicines and ships exported by China crossed nan globe.