European coffin makers seek anti-dumping probe into Chinese imports

European coffin manufacturers have formed a coalition and met with European Commission officials, including from its trade department, to push for an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese imports, according to the initiative's organizers.

Roughly a quarter of European coffin manufacturers have shut down over the past five years, with numbers falling from about 120 to 90, according to Folco Ciulli, a consultant helping coordinate the complaint. Surviving companies have absorbed only half the production previously handled by closed businesses.

At the heart of the case is a stark price gap: producing a coffin in China costs roughly one-third as much as an equivalent product in Italy, even using the same type of wood. The coalition points to state subsidies, export-related tax benefits, lower labour costs and cheaper timber as factors giving Chinese producers an advantage. It also argues that higher US tariffs on Chinese goods have helped redirect that production toward Europe.

Under EU trade rules, cheap prices alone do not constitute dumping. To secure anti-dumping duties, manufacturers must demonstrate that Chinese producers are selling below normal value, that the EU industry is suffering material injury, and that dumped imports are the cause. The coalition is collecting data on production costs, raw materials, labour and factory-gate prices to build that case.

The push follows an appeal by a group of EU lawmakers to Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič last year. A Commission spokesperson said the EU currently has over 200 trade defence measures in place but declined to confirm meetings with manufacturers, citing confidentiality over potential trade complaints.