In a sharp pivot from the recent focus on agricultural tariffs, the European Union today enacted a suite of significant new trade defence measures targeting Chinese industrial goods. The day's major update, comprising over 1,400 changes, introduced new anti-dumping duties on a wide range of iron and steel fasteners, certain specialty plastics, and various types of plywood. All of the new duties were loaded and took effect immediately on 25 July, representing a significant and immediate shift in the import landscape for these products.
The themes
Today’s regulatory activity marks a decisive shift away from the pre-scheduled agricultural tariff adjustments that have defined recent weeks. A massive update introduced over 1,400 changes, heavily concentrated in trade defence and industrial controls. The clear theme is the implementation of new protective measures against imports from China, with activity focused on articles of iron and steel (Chapter 73), mineral fuels (Chapter 27), and glass (Chapter 70). The immediate effective date for these new duties underscores the assertiveness of the action.
Headline items
The day's most significant developments are three new sets of anti-dumping measures, all targeting imports from China and all effective today.
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Iron and Steel Fasteners: Under Regulation R1785/26, new definitive anti-dumping duties now apply to a broad category of iron and steel fasteners, including various screws and bolts (under HS codes in the 7318 range). The residual duty for imports from China is set at a high 86.5%, with a lower rate of 39.6% available to certain cooperating exporters. The measures also include anti-circumvention provisions for goods consigned from Malaysia.
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Specialty Plastics (PBAT): Regulation R1747/26 introduces new measures for aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters (PBAT), a type of biodegradable plastic, originating in China (HS code 3907998050).
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Plywood: A third action, via Regulation R1840/26, imposes new duties on several types of plywood from China, including those with bamboo or coniferous outer plies (under various HS codes in the 4412 range).
Coming into force
In a notable move, all of the headline trade defence measures detailed above were loaded and took effect today, 25 July. This immediate implementation requires urgent attention from importers of the affected goods. In total, 116 measures became active today, the vast majority of which relate to these new anti-dumping actions.
What to watch
As flagged in recent briefings, the focus has now shifted decisively to industrial goods. With these significant duties on Chinese products now in effect, businesses will need to immediately assess their supply chains. While today's update was dominated by these immediate actions, it also contained over 100 future-dated measures, indicating that the tariff schedule will continue to see further adjustments in the coming days and weeks.