Forty-four European industrial groups have urged European Union member states to take immediate action against what they described as unfair Chinese trade practices, warning that they threaten the bloc’s manufacturing sector and risk further job losses. The call came a week before EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss the growing trade deficit with China, which exceeds 1 billion euros (1.12 billion dollars) a day.
Calls to expand trade-protection tools
The groups represent sectors including metals, chemicals and auto parts. They called on the European Union to use all available tools more effectively to impose trade-protection measures and adopt a broader approach that takes entire value chains into account, while avoiding negative effects on non-EU European partners such as Britain, Norway and Switzerland.
The groups also called for an increase in European Commission staffing to speed up the review of complaints. EU leaders are expected to consider proposals from France and Germany at the summit, published on Monday, to broaden the scope of trade defence.
European Commission data show that China is the European Union’s second-largest trading partner after the United States and the leading exporter to its markets. The trade deficit between the EU and China reached about 360 billion euros (about 403 billion dollars) in 2025.
Talks aimed at rebalancing trade
EU leaders will also discuss the outcome of European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic’s two-day visit to Beijing, which ends on Friday. Sefcovic is seeking to persuade China to reduce its exports to the European Union in at least one sector, particularly hybrid cars.
Drawing on 3 months of intensive talks, we are working hard to rebalance trade between the European Union and China
In a post on X late on Thursday, following his meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing, Sefcovic said it was essential for the first phase of talks, במסגרת the trade and investment consultations, to produce “tangible results.” He had earlier described the European Union’s trade deficit with China as “unsustainable.”
Pressure on industry and reciprocal risks
The influx of cheaper Chinese products has weakened European industrial sectors, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across the continent. Europe, meanwhile, faces risks linked to the possibility that Beijing could restrict supplies of vital materials such as rare earths or impose restrictions on European exports to the Chinese market.
China also faces economic risks, as its economy relies heavily on exports to offset weak domestic demand. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, said before Sefcovic’s visit to Beijing that “China’s economic crisis” gives the European bloc “leverage in negotiations.”
