EU mandates registration of Chinese tire imports

Brussels – The European Commission has adopted an 'implementing regulation' requiring the registration of imports of new pneumatic passenger car tires from China.

In a decision announced 21 Jan, the Commission said the measure applies to tires used on motor cars, buses and lorries with a load index not exceeding 121, as part of an ongoing anti-subsidy investigation.

The purpose of registration, said the Commission, is “to ensure that countervailing duties, if any, can be levied retroactively on the imports subject to registration in accordance with the applicable legal provisions, if the necessary conditions are met.”

The anti-subsidy proceeding was initiated on 6 Nov 2025, following a complaint lodged on 22 Sept 2025 by the Coalition Against Unfair Tyre Imports.

The complainant represents producers accounting for more than 25% of total EU production of passenger car and light lorry tires.

The Commission said that any future liability would arise from the findings of the investigation, noting that at this stage, it was not possible to estimate the level of subsidisation.

The complaint estimates an injury elimination level of between 70% and 165% for the period from 1 Oct 2023 to 30 Sept 2024.

However, the Commission said these figures are for "information purposes only" and do not create expectations regarding the final level of duties.

Registration will expire nine months after the regulation enters into force, a day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.