A Quarter of EU Imports Under Scrutiny
European trade authorities have flagged abnormal surges in almost a quarter of all goods entering the bloc, with Chinese products identified as the primary catalyst. Denis Redonnet, the European Commission’s chief trade enforcement officer, presented these figures to the European Parliament on October 1, confirming that the trend has permeated multiple major industrial sectors.
The €360 Billion Trade Imbalance
The machinery, textile, basic metal, and chemical sectors are currently bearing the brunt of this sustained growth in foreign imports. Redonnet’s testimony arrived as the Commission intensified high-stakes negotiations with Beijing to address a staggering EU goods trade deficit with China, which hit €360 billion ($407 billion) in 2025. While European exports to China have faltered, the volume of Chinese goods arriving in the bloc has climbed steadily. In 2025, total EU imports reached €2.53 trillion ($2.86 trillion) with Chinese-origin products accounting for €571 billion of that figure.
“Potentially Worrying Trends”
Brussels is now pushing for a formal agreement on Chinese export management to stabilize the influx.
“It is of serious concern that the import surveillance or barometer results… show potentially worrying trends for almost a quarter of all imports into the EU at the moment,” Redonnet said. “And China and Chinese origin is the main driver of these import increases.”
Surge in Protective Investigations
The mounting pressure from foreign goods has forced a rapid mobilization of EU trade defense mechanisms. Industry requests for protection have skyrocketed, prompting the European Commission to launch 32 new cases in 2025. This figure sits just below the record 33 cases initiated in 2024, far outpacing the historical annual average of 12. With more than a third of these new investigations targeting the chemicals sector, the trend shows no sign of cooling; Redonnet confirmed that authorities have already opened an additional 27 cases in 2026.
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