Brussels to reassess duties after industry warns of renewed dumping and rising import pressure if measures expire
April 14th, 2026 – The European Commission has formally opened an anti-dumping expiry review concerning imports of citric acid and trisodium citrate dihydrate originating in the People’s Republic of China, following a request lodged by the two known Union producers: N.V. Citrique Belge S.A. and Jungbunzlauer Austria AG. The notice, published today in the Official Journal under reference C/2026/2120, sets in motion a review that will determine whether existing duties should be maintained or allowed to expire.
The measures currently in force were last renewed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/607, which imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese citric acid following a previous expiry review. Those duties were also extended to imports consigned from Malaysia, whether declared as originating there or not, under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/32, a circumvention-prevention measure that remains part of the current framework.
The applicants argue that allowing the measures to lapse would be likely to result in the continuation of dumping by Chinese producers and continued injury to the Union industry. On the dumping side, they contend that domestic prices and costs in China cannot be used as a reliable basis for calculating normal value, citing significant distortions in the Chinese economy under Article 2(6a) of the EU’s basic anti-dumping Regulation, a provision specifically designed to address non-market economy conditions. As their preferred methodology, they propose constructing a normal value based on costs from a representative third country, with Colombia put forward as the appropriate comparator. On that basis, the applicants calculate that dumping margins remain significant.
On the injury side, the applicants point to evidence that Chinese imports have increased both in absolute volume and market share, with negative effects on the quantities sold, prices, and overall financial performance of the Union industry. They also flag the existence of unused production capacity in China as a reason to expect import volumes to rise further should the duties be withdrawn.
The review investigation period for the dumping analysis covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, while the broader examination of injury trends will look back to 1 January 2023. The investigation is expected to conclude within twelve months, and no later than fifteen months from today’s publication.
The procedure is open to a wide range of interested parties. Chinese producers, unrelated EU importers, Union producers, users of citric acid, and other relevant stakeholders are all invited to register and participate, with most initial deadlines falling 37 days from today’s publication, though some shorter windows apply, including a 7-day deadline for producers and importers wishing to be considered for sampling, and a 15-day window for parties wishing to propose alternative representative third countries or comment on inputs and HS codes.
Importantly, this is a pure expiry review: its outcome will either maintain or repeal the existing measures, but cannot modify their level. Parties seeking an amendment to the duties rather than their simple continuation or removal would need to request a separate interim review under Article 11(3) of the basic Regulation.
Additional notes:
The investigation file is accessible via the Commission’s TRON platform at https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/investigations/case-view?caseId=2860. Correspondence on dumping matters should be directed to TRADE-R851-CITRIC-ACID-DUMPING@ec.europa.eu, and on injury and Union interest to TRADE-R851-CITRIC-ACID-INJURY@ec.europa.eu.
