Brussels registers Chinese alkaline batteries and prepares retroactive duties

The European Commission has ordered the registration of imports of alkaline manganese dioxide electric cells and batteries originating in the People’s Republic of China. The act is Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2049, adopted in Brussels on September 14, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, 2nd Special Series – European Union, no. 89 of November 12, 2026, with reference 26CE2739. The registration serves to ensure that any anti-dumping duties can be collected retroactively on the registered imports.

The initiative is based on Article 14, paragraph 5, of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 (“basic regulation”), after the Member States were informed. The anti-dumping proceeding was opened on July 2, 2026, with a notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ C, C/2026/3479), following a complaint filed on May 18, 2026, by VARTA Consumer Batteries GmbH & Co. KGaA on behalf of producers representing more than 25% of the total Union production of the product. A significant point should be noted: the Commission decided to order the registration on its own initiative, and not at the request of the complaining industry.

What is subject to registration

The measure precisely defines the customs perimeter, which concerns a very wide range of products in modern distribution:

• alkaline manganese dioxide electric cells and batteries;
• only cylindrical, non-rechargeable cells that are not waste;
• excluding scrap, waste, and parts;
• current classification under code CN 8506 10 11;
• origin: People’s Republic of China.

The customs authorities of the Member States are invited to adopt the appropriate provisions to register imports of the product under consideration. The registration ends after a period of nine months from the date of entry into force of the regulation, set for the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The figures of the complaint

The regulation reports the estimates contained in the complaint, relating to the period January-December 2025. These are values defined by the Commission itself as being “solely for information purposes,” such as to not create expectations regarding the actual level of the duties:

• estimated dumping margins between 20% and 219%;
• injury elimination level between 9% and 134%;
• reference period for calculations: from January to December 2025.

The amount of any future duties would normally be set at the lower of the dumping margin and the injury margin, pursuant to Article 9(4) of the basic regulation. However, the Commission specifies that it is not able, at this stage, to estimate the extent of future measures: the conditions for retroactive collection will be assessed in the regulation establishing definitive duties, if applicable.

Possible aggravation due to raw material distortions

One passage of the measure opens a more costly scenario for importers. If, during the investigation, the Commission finds evidence of distortions relating to raw materials pursuant to Article 7(2bis) of the basic regulation, the amount of future duties would be set at the level of the dumping margin provided for in Article 7(2ter), should a lower duty not be sufficient to eliminate the injury suffered by the Union industry. Furthermore, Article 3 of the instrument contains a reference to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 for the processing of personal data collected within the scope of the registration.

For importers, distributors, and retail chains, the registration does not entail an immediate payment, but introduces a potential exposure over nine months of flows: shipments declared under code CN 8506 10 11 remain traceable and potentially subject to retroactive duties, with effects to be monitored also on the consumer prices of cylindrical batteries.

Official source: Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, 2nd Special Series – European Union, no. 89 of November 12, 2026 — Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2049 of 14 September 2026, registering imports of alkaline manganese dioxide electric cells and batteries originating in the People’s Republic of China (26CE2739).