Commission Keeps 13.1 Percent Countervailing Duty on Egyptian Glass Fibre

The European Commission has maintained a definitive countervailing duty of 13.1% on imports of continuous filament glass fibre products originating in Egypt, keeping the existing measure in force after an expiry review. The decision was taken under Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 and is published as Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2107 of 22 September 2026 in the Official Journal of the European Union, L series, of 23 September 2026.

The duty dates back to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/870, which set the original countervailing measure at 13.1%. After a notice of impending expiry, Glass Fibre Europe requested a review on 21 March 2025 on behalf of the Union industry, and the Commission initiated the expiry review on 24 June 2025. The review investigation period covered 1 January to 31 December 2024, while injury trends were assessed from 1 January 2021. The Commission disclosed its essential facts on 8 July 2026 and adopted the regulation on 22 September 2026; it enters into force the day after publication.

What the regulation imposes

• Product scope: chopped glass fibre strands of not more than 50 mm; glass fibre rovings, excluding impregnated and coated rovings with a loss on ignition above 3% under ISO Standard 1887; and mats of glass fibre filaments, excluding glass wool mats.
• Tariff classification: CN codes 7019 11 00, ex 7019 12 00 (TARIC codes 7019 12 00 22, 7019 12 00 25, 7019 12 00 26 and 7019 12 00 39), 7019 14 00 and 7019 15 00.
• Duty rate: 13.1% on the net, free-at-Union-frontier price before duty for Jushi Egypt for Fiberglass Industry S.A.E. (TARIC additional code C540) and for all other imports originating in Egypt (C999).
• A separate anti-dumping duty of 11% on the same Egyptian product has been in force since April 2026 under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/831.

Subsidies found to continue

The Commission concluded that subsidisation of the Egyptian glass fibre industry continued during the review investigation period at a level above the de minimis threshold, with these rates:

• Preferential financing channelled through parent companies: 1.23%.
• Support for capital investment: 0.44%.
• VAT exemption on imported equipment: 0.08%; import tariff rebates on equipment: 0.35%.
• VAT exemption on imported input materials: 1.57%; import tariff rebates on materials: 0.11%.
• Provision of land for less than adequate remuneration: 2.29%.

The Commission attributed preferential financing granted by Chinese public bodies to Jushi Egypt to the Egyptian government, citing the Court of Justice ruling in joined cases C-269/23 P and C-272/23 P. It dismissed Egypt’s objections, including its reliance on the WTO panel report in DS616, which the Commission has appealed.

Injury and Union interest

• Egyptian imports rose 47% over the period considered, reaching 151,285 tonnes in the review investigation period, with market share up from 12% to 18%.
• The average Egyptian import price fell to EUR 712 per tonne and undercut Union industry prices by 24.2%.
• Union production stood at 529,828 tonnes and Union consumption at 936,119 tonnes; two Union producers stopped producing glass fibre altogether during the review investigation period.
• Users Tolnatext and Rymatex argued against maintaining the measures; the Commission rejected their claims, finding that the Union industry has the technology and spare capacity to supply the product types concerned.

The regulation locks in protection for European glass fibre producers, which the Commission found suffered material injury and would face a significant increase in subsidised imports if the measures lapsed. For importers and downstream composite manufacturers, the combination of the 13.1% countervailing duty and the 11% anti-dumping duty keeps Egyptian material among the most heavily taxed sources on the Union market, although the Commission judged the impact on importers and users limited and outweighed by the benefit to Union producers.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No. 2026/2107, 23 September 2026, p. 1 (official reference: CELEX L_20262107).