EU CR 2025/45 + CR 2025/796: definitive anti-dumping and countervailing duties on mobile access equipment from China

Mechanism

Mobile access equipment (MAE) — self-propelled aerial work platforms, scissors lifts, boom lifts, and similar machinery designed to lift persons to working heights of 6 metres or more, including pre-assembled or ready-to-assemble chassis, turret/turntable, platform/basket, and lifting-mechanism sections — has been produced in China at scale since the mid-2010s. Chinese manufacturers (particularly the three XCMG/Sany/Zoomlion heavies) built dominant global market shares in the sub-premium AWP segment and were shipping large volumes into the EU.

The Commission launched an anti-dumping investigation under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 (the basic AD regulation). Provisional AD duties were applied under a prior implementing regulation (CR (EU) 2024/2163 for provisional measures). The January 2025 CR 2025/45 closes the AD investigation with definitive duties, and a parallel anti-subsidy (countervailing) investigation — finding preferential land-use rights below market value, policy banking (preferential financing), and various tax reductions for Chinese MAE producers — was closed in April 2025 by CR 2025/796.

AD duty rates (CR 2025/45, effective 10 January 2025):

The individual AD rates were set following the standard OCCRP (sampled/non-sampled exporter) methodology. The range 20.6%–54.9% reflects company-specific dumping margins; the residual "all other" rate sits at the higher end of this band.

CVD duty rates (CR 2025/796, effective 28 April 2025):

Anti-subsidy duties of 7.3%–14.2% were added on top of the AD duties:

• XCMG Group and Zoomlion Group: lower CVD rate (7.3%)
• All other Chinese producers (including Sany): up to 14.2%
• Combined upper-bound (AD + CVD): up to 66.7% for non-cooperating producers

A corrigendum to CR 2025/796 was published 7 May 2025 (EUR-Lex ELI: reg_impl/2025/796/corrigendum/2025-05-07).

Downstream implications

• Chinese AWP exports to EU severely constrained: At 20.6%–66.7% combined duty on top of MFN

rates, the cost advantage that drove Chinese MAE penetration of the EU market is largely eliminated for most product classes. Chinese producers face either absorbing margins, raising prices to EU buyers, or diverting production to non-EU markets (Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa).

• EU incumbent producers benefit: Haulotte (France, HTG:FP) and European operations of JLG (Oshkosh,

OSK) and Genie (Terex, TEX) are the primary beneficiaries; reduced Chinese price pressure in the EU market should support order books and pricing.

• Third-country re-routing risk: MAE assembled in third countries (e.g., Malaysia, Thailand) using

Chinese sub-assemblies may face anti-circumvention investigation. The Commission has authority under Article 13 of Regulation 2016/1036 to extend duties if circumvention is found.

• Investment signal for EU AWP manufacturing: The definitive multi-layer AD+CVD package signals a

sustained EU market-protection posture for construction equipment sub-sectors, complementing the concurrent EV, solar, and biodiesel trade-defence actions in the 2024-25 EU-China trade-remedy wave.

• Peer comparator: Structurally peers to CR 2025/261 (biodiesel), CR 2024/1866 (Chinese EV CVD),

and the solar-glass / wind-towers cases as part of the EU Commission's systematic trade-defence sweep across Chinese-subsidised industrial sectors.

Open questions

• Whether Sany/Zoomlion/XCMG will pursue WTO dispute settlement under the Anti-Subsidies Code (ASCM)

or DS proceedings at the WTO DSB.

• Whether Chinese producers will establish EU-based assembly operations to avoid the duties (cf. BYD

Manisa plant for EVs).

• Whether the May 2025 corrigendum to CR 2025/796 materially adjusts any company-level CVD rates.
• Long-run: whether China will file anti-circumvention counter-duties on EU construction-equipment

exports (Liebherr, Zeppelin/Caterpillar, Komatsu EU operations).