The heads of the MES China Action Group – Édouard Martin (S&D, France), Emmanuel Maurel (S&D, France) and David Borrelli (EFDD, Italy) – have mobilised a large and unusual coalition which, ahead of China’s accession protocol to the WTO in December, sent the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, a letter on Thursday 27 October outlining their preconditions for ensuring that the European Commission’s future decision on granting China market economy status (MES), which is expected in early November, does not further weaken European industry.
The coalition has 35 MEPs from the six biggest political groups at the European Parliament, trade union federations ETUC and IndutriAll, industrial association Aegis Europe, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions calls on the European Commission not to propose reversing the burden of proof (so that Chinese operators have to continue to prove their good faith), to keep the five criteria laid down by the EU for a market economy that are used when deciding to launch anti-dumping investigations, and not to introduce any form of discrimination in the sectors of industry exposed to Chinese dumping.
Finally, the signatories ask the Commission to publish urgently the outcome of its impact assessment and public consultation on granting China MES. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)