Brussels orders registration of PVC imports from China, Korea, Mexico and Taiwan

The European Commission has made imports of certain polyvinyl chloride from China, South Korea, Mexico and Taiwan subject to registration, a step that allows anti-dumping duties to be levied retroactively on those shipments. The decision is contained in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2345 of 23 October 2026, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 October 2026.

The regulation rests on Article 14(5) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036, the Union’s basic anti-dumping instrument, which permits imports to be registered while an investigation is under way. The Commission acted on its own initiative, after informing the Member States, and states that registration is intended to ensure that any duties eventually imposed can be collected retroactively if the legal conditions are met. The underlying investigation was opened on 23 September 2026 by a notice published in the Official Journal (C/2026/4912), following a complaint lodged on 10 August 2026 by the Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Trade Committee on behalf of producers accounting for more than 25 % of total Union production of the product.

What customs authorities must register

The registration covers polyvinyl chloride polymerised through suspension polymerisation and bulk (mass) polymerisation, in pure form and not mixed with any other substance. The Commission defines the scope as follows:

• Suspension PVC, including commodity S-PVC, extender S-PVC and specialty S-PVC.
• Bulk or mass PVC (M-PVC).
• Excluded from the scope: PVC polymerised through emulsion polymerisation (E-PVC).
• Customs classification: CN code ex 3904 10 00, with TARIC codes 3904 10 00 15, 3904 10 00 21, 3904 10 00 80 and 3904 10 00 81.
• Countries of origin concerned: the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Mexico and Taiwan.

The margins alleged in the complaint

The regulation reproduces the calculations submitted with the complaint that triggered the proceeding, which estimate dumping margins and injury elimination levels for 2025:

• China: dumping margins between 84 % and 273 %, injury elimination level of 68 %.
• Republic of Korea: dumping margins between 21 % and 61 %, injury elimination level of 53 %.
• Mexico: dumping margin of 65 %, injury elimination level of 55 %.
• Taiwan: dumping margins between 13 % and 39 %, injury elimination level of 56 %.

Under Article 9(4) of the basic regulation, any future liability would normally be set at the lower of the dumping margin or the injury level. The Commission adds that if the investigation uncovers evidence of raw material distortions — a claim made in relation to China under Article 7(2a) — the amount could instead be set at the level of the dumping margin, provided a lower duty would not suffice to remove the injury suffered by the Union industry.

Nine months of exposure for importers

Registration takes effect from the regulation’s entry into force, set for the day following publication, that is 27 October 2026, and expires nine months later. The Commission is explicit that it cannot at this stage estimate the amount of any possible future liability, and that the figures in the complaint are provided for information only and create no expectation as to the level ultimately established. Any liability would flow solely from the findings of the investigation.

The regulation was adopted in Brussels on 23 October 2026 and signed for the Commission by its President, Ursula von der Leyen. It is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Data collected under the registration is to be processed in line with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection of personal data by Union institutions.

For European producers who backed the complaint, the registration locks in the possibility of recovering duties on imports made during the investigation. For importers and plastics converters, it opens a nine-month window in which every consignment of S-PVC or M-PVC from the four countries concerned becomes a contingent liability, and in which customs documentation on origin, resin type and TARIC classification will determine the final bill.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No 2026/2345, 26 October 2026, legislation (official reference: 2026/2345).