Three regulations adopted by the European Commission in September 2025: import duties on sugar molasses and anti-dumping duties on flat steel products and glyoxylic acid
Between September 22 and 30, 2025, the European Commission adopted three major implementing regulations which pursue a common objective: to ensure the proper functioning of the European Union’s internal market and to restore fair competition in the chemical, metallurgical, and agricultural sectors.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1901 of September 22, 2025 imposes a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of glyoxylic acid originating in the People’s Republic of China and confirms the collection of provisional duties already applied.
Adopted on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 on protection against dumped imports, it follows an investigation which showed that Chinese producers were selling this product at prices below its normal value, causing serious injury to the European industry, in particular through loss of market share and reduced profitability.
The Commission therefore introduced an anti-dumping duty in order to restore fair competition, preserve the viability of the European chemical sector, and protect the glyoxylic acid market from unfair trade practices in the long term.
A few days later, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1919 of September 25, 2025 was adopted following an investigation launched on August 8, 2024 into imports of hot-rolled flat products of iron, non-alloy steel, and other alloy steel originating in Egypt, Japan, Vietnam, and India.
The investigation, initiated at the request of EUROFER (the association of European steel producers), revealed the existence of significant dumping practices by several foreign producers, leading to destabilization of the European market and considerable economic damage to the Union’s steel industry.
The Commission has therefore imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports from Egypt, Japan, and Vietnam, covering products classified under CN codes 7208, 7211, 7225, and 7226. These duties vary between producers to reflect their respective levels of dumping. However, the investigation did not reveal any significant dumping for India, which led to the termination of the proceedings for that country.
The regulation also lays down technical provisions for updating the list of exporting producers and for the possible suspension of duties in the event of overlap with other trade defense instruments. By making the provisional duties imposed by Regulation (EU) 2025/670 definitive, the Commission is consolidating the stability of the steel market and protecting the competitiveness of European industry, while ensuring compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Finally, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2008 of September 30, 2025 sets the representative prices, import duties, and additional import duties for molasses in the sugar sector, applicable from October 1, 2025.
Adopted pursuant to Regulation (EU) No. 1308/2013 establishing a common organization of agricultural markets (single CMO), this text is part of the EU’s agricultural import regulation policy. It aims to ensure the uniform application of customs duties and fair access to the European market for operators in the sugar sector.
The regulation specifies that CIF (cost, insurance, and freight) import prices are the representative reference prices, adjusted according to product quality in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2834. Where these prices, plus import duties, exceed EUR 8.21/100 kg, duties are suspended or reduced to an appropriate amount in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2835.
The Commission has therefore set the representative prices at EUR 19.57/100 kg for cane molasses (CN code 1703 10 00) and EUR 16.19/100 kg for beet molasses (CN code 1703 90 00), with no additional duties applicable.
This mechanism helps to maintain the stability of the internal market while avoiding distortions of competition linked to excessive variations in world prices. The text repeals Regulation (EU) 2024/2611, enters into force upon publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, and is directly applicable in all Member States.
These three regulations illustrate the diversity of tools available to the European Commission to ensure economic stability and competitiveness of the internal market. Regulations (EU) 2025/1901 and 2025/1919 fall within the Union’s trade defense policy and aim to protect European industries against dumping practices, particularly in the chemical and steel sectors. Regulation (EU) 2025/2008, meanwhile, is part of the Union’s agricultural management policy and seeks to ensure transparency and balance in trade on the sugar market.
