EU opens interim review of anti-dumping duties on Chinese citric acid

The European Commission has initiated an interim review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of citric acid originating in the People’s Republic of China, covering both dumping and injury. The review was opened under Article 11(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 (the basic Regulation) and announced in a Notice of initiation published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 14 September 2026 (C/2026/4814).

The request was submitted on 13 July 2026 by N.V. Citribel S.A. and Jungbunzlauer Austria AG, the two known Union producers, acting on behalf of the Union citric acid industry. The product under review is citric acid and trisodium citrate dihydrate, falling under CN codes 2918 14 00 and ex 2918 15 00.

Existing measures and background

The measures currently in force are a definitive anti-dumping duty imposed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/607, extended to imports consigned from Malaysia by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/32. On 14 April 2026 the Commission had already opened an expiry review of the same duty, and the measures remain in force pending its completion.

The applicants argue that the circumstances on which the existing measures were based have changed in a lasting way. They point to a structural expansion of Chinese production capacity and a sustained fall in export prices, which they say render the current duty levels insufficient to counteract dumping.

Grounds for the review

The applicants provided prima facie evidence of lasting changes in the dumping situation:

• Chinese citric acid capacity increased by 780,000 tonnes between 2019 and 2025, bringing total capacity above EU consumption.
• A new Chinese exporting producer, Seven Star, entered the market in 2018 and began exporting in 2021, planning an additional 500,000 tonnes of capacity by 2029.
• Chinese production capacity now exceeds the domestic market volume by more than four times, reflecting an aggressive low-priced export strategy.
• The applicants allege significant distortions in the Chinese economy under Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation, citing state presence and distortions in the chemical sector and in raw materials such as corn, caustic soda, sulphuric acid and lime.
• Colombia was indicated as an appropriate representative country for constructing normal value, with Brazil used for an alternative calculation.

The applicants also allege raw-material distortions: corn, which accounts for more than 17% of production cost, is subject to a withdrawal of the VAT refund upon export from China, resulting in prices significantly below representative international markets.

Procedure and deadlines

The review investigation period runs from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, with injury trends examined from 1 January 2023. Interested parties must comment on the request within 37 days of publication, request hearings within 15 days, and provide sampling information within 7 days. The Commission may also instruct customs authorities to register imports of Chinese citric acid at a later stage.

The investigation is to be concluded within 12 months and in no case later than 15 months from publication. The Commission will assess whether a duty lower than the dumping margin would suffice to remove injury, in line with Article 7(2a) of the basic Regulation, and will conduct a Union interest test.

Why it matters

The outcome of this interim review will determine whether the anti-dumping protection on Chinese citric acid is adjusted, maintained or lifted, directly affecting EU chemical producers, importers and downstream users. Given the scale of Chinese overcapacity and the parallel expiry review, the case is a key test of the EU’s trade-defence toolkit against structural distortions in the Chinese chemical sector.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, C/2026/4814, 14 September 2026, section I (official reference: C/2026/4814).