The EU will broaden the use of its trade defences to shield entire industrial sectors from what Brussels sees as an “existential” threat from Chinese imports, the bloc’s industry commissioner has said.
Stéphane Séjourné told the FT and other European outlets the EU would deploy import quotas and tariffs more systematically because European industries such as chemicals, metals and clean technology were at risk of being destroyed by unfair Chinese competition.
“We will use safeguard clauses in a more general manner on sectors and not just on businesses or particular raw materials,” he said. It will be “a less fragmented approach [that] allows us to get over difficulties for entire sectors because we’re in situations where, in reality, eight- or nine-month inquiries don’t allow us to save the sector.”