Senior figures from the metals, refining and construction sectors have warned EU Commissioners that cheap and subsidised Chinese goods will cause widespread European job losses and lead to European consumers becoming dependent on imports from China that use highly-polluting production methods.
Speaking at a conference to discuss the implications of China gaining market economy status (MES), Dirk Vandenberghe, President of Eurometaux, cautioned; "European companies are faced with an 8 per cent extra cost to comply with environmental legislation."
Thousands of European workers marched through Brussels to protest against Chinese dumping and MES. Industry Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska has said she harbours doubts over whether China was genuinely a market economy. A decision on MES is expected at some point in 2016.
The Commission has launched investigations into allegations of dumping. However, the investigations and decisions to impose duties on steel imports from the world's second largest economy have been criticised by the steel sector as too little too late.
British and French ministers have urged the Commission to act more quickly against alleged dumping. Currently it takes the EU almost 15 months to impose antidumping duties - twice as long as it takes in the US.
A Commission proposal for accelerating the process - the "Trade Defence Instruments" has been under discussion since 2013. However, a number of countries have been blocking the proposal.
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