02/02/2026 (Agence Europe) – In a press release published on Monday 2 February, Eucolait, the European dairy products trade association, deplored the final decision by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce to impose additional customs duties of between 7.4% and 11.7% on EU cream and cheese. This decision, taken on Friday 30 January, follows the initiation of an anti-subsidy investigation in August 2024 and the announcement of provisional duties in December 2025 - denounced by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13778/10). “China remains the world’s largest importer of dairy products and ingredients, and the EU plays a significant role in meeting this demand”, says Eucolait. Although these definitive duties are lower than those announced in December, they “will continue undermining the EU’s competitiveness on the Chinese market”. The association says it supports the European Commission’s efforts to defend the sector and is calling for a “constructive and sustainable” solution to this dispute. (PLD)