Germany’s engineering association VDMA called on the European Union to take more rapid and decisive measures against what it describes as unfair trade practices by China. In a statement released on July 15, the organization advocated for the implementation of countervailing duties targeting specific product categories and recommended reforms to the EU’s procedures for assessing trade disputes.

VDMA criticized the existing system as being too slow to respond to market distortions caused by imports from China. The group argued that current mechanisms fail to effectively prevent the influx of subsidized Chinese products, which they say undermines fair competition within the European manufacturing sector.

The engineering body emphasized the need for a more streamlined and robust approach to counteract subsidized exports from China, urging EU policymakers to prioritize reforms that would enable quicker investigation and enforcement actions. By adopting countervailing duties, VDMA believes Europe could better protect its domestic industries against what it deems unfair pricing strategies.

While the statement did not detail specific product groups to be targeted, the call underscores growing tensions between the EU and China over trade practices. The demand for faster and stronger countermeasures reflects broader concerns within European industry about maintaining competitive advantages in the face of China’s expanding global market presence.

European Commission officials have maintained that anti-subsidy investigations and enforcement must adhere to thorough legal and procedural standards, which can lengthen the timeline of trade remedy cases. However, industry representatives like those in VDMA argue that these safeguards inadvertently allow harmful competitive distortions to persist longer than necessary.

This development adds to ongoing debates within the EU regarding how best to address trade imbalances and protect key sectors from foreign subsidies. Germany’s engineering sector, a significant contributor to the national and European economies, has been particularly vocal about the impact of Chinese competition on its businesses.