Exclusive: EU-based chemical producers ask Commission to probe Chinese group over deal in the UK

Published connected 18/04/2026 - 22:58 GMT+2•Updated 23:06

A conjugation of EU-based chemic producers of titanium dioxide – a strategical chemic utilized successful greenish vigor and aerospace – has lodged a ailment with the Commission alleging unfair overseas subsidies against starring Chinese shaper LB Group, which is seeking to get a UK works of British rival Venator, Euronews has learned.

The determination follows the European Commission’s determination successful January 2025 to enforce anti-dumping duties connected LB Group, a commercialized defence measurement targeting low-priced imports into the EU.

Acquiring a accumulation works successful the UK would let the Chinese radical to export its products to the European marketplace duty-free nether the EU-UK commercialized agreement, circumventing EU anti-dumping tariffs.

The EU chemic assemblage is nether unit from increasing contention from Chinese rivals, which are flooding the marketplace with overcapacity.

The confederation down the ailment against LB Group includes respective companies producing successful the EU — US-based Tronox and Kronos, Czech Precheza and Slovenian Cinkarna — collectively accounting for astir 90% of EU titanium dioxide production.

Enforcing the Foreign Subsidies Regulation extracurricular the EU

Sources said the ailment was filed successful December 2025, urging the European Commission to analyse the Chinese institution implicit alleged unfair overseas subsidies utilized to concern the acquisition of Venator’s plant.

The EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation, adopted successful 2022, allows the Commission to analyse non-EU companies to measure whether they payment from distortive overseas subsidies to marque acquisitions successful the EU oregon instrumentality portion successful nationalist procurement.

The instrumentality was initially designed with China successful mind, reflecting concerns implicit excessive authorities subsidies enactment for Chinese companies acquiring strategical EU assets oregon infrastructure. However, the regularisation has not yet been applied extracurricular the EU.

The works targeted by LB Group is located successful Greatham successful northeast England, which near the EU successful 2020 aft Brexit. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is presently reviewing the woody and is expected to contented a determination successful May.

If the European Commission opens an probe nether the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, it could acceptable a precedent and nonstop a beardown awesome globally.

The determination would travel arsenic the EU chemic manufacture loses marketplace stock successful Europe.

According to Cefic, which represents the assemblage successful Brussels, the bloc has mislaid astir 9% of its accumulation capableness since 2022, resulting successful the nonaccomplishment of 20,000 nonstop jobs.