The European Commission announced today the launch of a new anti-dumping investigation into unfairly priced imports of hardwood plywood from China into the European Union. From a procedural point of view, the initiation of an investigation for the first time in history will require the registration of all imports of Chinese hardwood plywood at the EU border. This would allow European customs officials to collect additional duties retroactively if they are imposed following the Commission’s findings at the end of the investigation. The investigation was initiated at the request of nine leading European plywood producers who have formed the Greenwood Consortium. Paged is a supporting member of this Consortium.
The Consortium’s statement reads: “The investigation will now examine whether Chinese producers are indeed dumping hardwood plywood in the EU and what the consequences of these practices are for European companies. Several other countries and markets, including the US, Morocco, Turkey, and South Korea, have already taken action to protect their own industries from similar unfair trade practices.
Jarosław Michniuk, President of the Management Board of Paged Morąg, commented on the Commission’s decision as follows:
– We welcome the Commission’s positive response to the Greenwood Consortium’s request and the launch of an investigation, which we will closely monitor. The investigation itself will last up to 14 months, but as was the case with the proceedings against Russian birch plywood producers, the European Commission may impose provisional duties after approximately six months. We also welcome the Commission’s announcement that it will register imports of hardwood plywood at the EU border, as this will allow retroactive duties to be applied.
As emphasized in the Consortium’s statement, many countries are protecting their markets and the entire value chain against cheap imports from China—for example, the US has imposed a 200% tariff on Chinese plywood. “We also expect high additional tariffs on Chinese plywood,” adds Michniuk.
Paged has been actively supporting efforts to promote fair competition on the EU plywood market for many years. The company was a co-founder of the Woodstock Consortium, at whose request the European Commission conducted an anti-dumping investigation and imposed duties on Russian plywood even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as duties on Turkey and Kazakhstan for circumventing these regulations.
– The imposition of sanctions on plywood from Russia and Belarus has prompted these countries to find ways to get their illegal goods onto the EU market, explains Michniuk. One of the directions that is rapidly gaining importance today is China. Bearing in mind that China is already the largest supplier of plywood to the European Union, it is essential that trade with this country is conducted in accordance with WTO regulations.
According to an article in the Financial Times, “According to Eurostat data, in 2023, the EU imported approximately 750,000 cubic meters of hardwood plywood worth €327 million from China, accounting for more than half of imports and 30 percent of the total EU market.”
About the Paged Group:
Founded over 90 years ago, Paged is currently one of the five largest plywood manufacturers and a major producer of wooden chairs in the European Union. It employs approximately 1,700 people and has a total of five production plants in Poland and Estonia. It offers innovative solutions and products that are used in many industries, such as interior design and furnishing, construction, transport, and packaging in nearly eighty markets around the world. Since 2019, Paged has been developing and implementing technological and product innovations based on the unique competences of its own research and development center, Paged LabTech.
Paged’s subsidiaries: Paged Morąg, Paged Eesti, Paged Trade, Paged Meble, Paged LabTech, Paged Pisz, Paged Deutschland and BUK Ltd. are part of the Thumos Group, a private Polish industrial and investment consortium.
Media contact:
Magdalena Kicińska, magdalena.kicinska@paged.pl, tel.: +48 725520874
