China Is Crushing Polish Appliance Makers: EU Now Gets 3 Times More Chinese Appliances Than Polish Ones

Three times as many home appliances now reach the EU market from China as from Poland, and the industry is warning that more factories could close, according to Monday’s Rzeczpospolita, a Polish daily.

Data from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, and APPLiA Polska, published in Monday’s edition of Rzeczpospolita, show that from the start of the year through July, more than 26.5 million home appliances arrived on EU markets from China. That is 12.1% more than in the same period a year earlier. Shipments from Poland fell by 0.8% to 9.1 million units. China accounts for more than 38% of the market, while Poland’s share has dropped to 13.2%.

The newspaper reports that, in value terms, imports from China grew even faster, by 12.9%, to more than €3.2 billion. Over the same period, imports from Poland fell by 6% to just over €2 billion. One of the paper’s sources said that rising imports, including in the appliance sector, should serve as an alarm signal.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has proposed the CBAM regulation (the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), intended to level out CO2 emission costs, meaning those covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Home appliances are largely made from raw materials covered by this mechanism, so local manufacturers bear ETS costs while competing with producers from outside the EU, whose goods do not factor in those costs.

The industry is calling on EU authorities to take steps to prevent more factory closures. According to Rzeczpospolita, the appeals mainly concern creating a level playing field for products made inside and outside the Union. (PAP)