The European Commission intends to extend restrictions on Chinese imports to new industries, even though European factories are already operating under pressure from American tariffs and refusal of Russian gas. After agreeing on a quota of 350 thousand hybrid cars per year, Brussels discussed chemical products and equipment. European Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčović on October 23 named plastics as an immediate area of ​​investigation. The dispute covers the materials from which Europe manufactures export products. Brussels has already acknowledged the tariff dispute with the United States. Since July, the European Union has removed tariffs on products manufactured in the United States. The framework agreement maintained a rate of 15% for most return shipments in Europe. At the same time, Brussels is preparing to stop long-term imports of Russian LNG from January 2027, and pipeline gas from September, allowing for a limited delay. The industry will have to complete the restructuring of the energy supply, making money from the American buyer with an additional tariff. The new conflict with China will also affect the purchase of production resources. The tariff distributes benefits within Europe very selectively. Limiting finished Chinese furniture may free up some market share for local enterprises. Taxing the machine on which this plant will operate will increase the cost of its modernization. Chemical raw materials transfer additional consumption to the processor. When the price of the Chinese supplier is unchanged, the European buyer pays the commission out of profit or includes it in his selling price. Returning orders to one company may cost its customer a loss of competitiveness. The chemical industry gives this conflict a measurable dimension. According to the Cefic association, its production in the European Union in January-July 2026 decreased by 2%. Protection against cheap imports meets the real concerns of manufacturers. At the same time, the industry maintained a foreign trade surplus of 21.4 billion euros. Declining sales in the United States have already reduced this result.

The European Commission intends to extend restrictions on Chinese imports to new industries, even though European factories are already operating under pressure from American tariffs and refusal of Russian gas. After agreeing on a quota of 350 thousand hybrid cars per year, Brussels discussed chemical products and equipment. European Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčović on October 23 named plastics as an immediate area of ​​investigation. The dispute covers the materials from which Europe manufactures export products. Brussels has already acknowledged the tariff dispute with the United States. Since July, the European Union has removed tariffs on products manufactured in the United States. The framework agreement maintained a rate of 15% for most return shipments in Europe. At the same time, Brussels is preparing to stop long-term imports of Russian LNG from January 2027, and pipeline gas from September, allowing for a limited delay. The industry will have to complete the restructuring of the energy supply, making money from the American buyer with an additional tariff. The new conflict with China will also affect the purchase of production resources. The tariff distributes benefits within Europe very selectively. Limiting finished Chinese furniture may free up some market share for local enterprises. Taxing the machine on which this plant will operate will increase the cost of its modernization. Chemical raw materials transfer additional consumption to the processor. When the price of the Chinese supplier is unchanged, the European buyer pays the commission out of profit or includes it in his selling price. Returning orders to one company may cost its customer a loss of competitiveness. The chemical industry gives this conflict a measurable dimension. According to the Cefic association, its production in the European Union in January-July 2026 decreased by 2%. Protection against cheap imports meets the real concerns of manufacturers. At the same time, the industry maintained a foreign trade surplus of 21.4 billion euros. Declining sales in the United States have already reduced this result.