AEGIS Europe Statement on EU-China Agreement

Brussels, 15 October 2026. We urge the European Commission to ensure that sectoral arrangements are accompanied by a broader and more ambitious strategy to address unfair trade practices and persistent market distortions. While sector-specific agreements may offer short-term solutions for certain industries, they cannot substitute for a robust and comprehensive EU trade defence and industrial policies.

The EU must prioritise the effective enforcement of its existing trade defence instruments as well as level-playing field instruments (e.g. the Foreign Subsidies Regulation), while also developing new trade defence tools capable of addressing the evolving challenges posed by China's industrial policies and trade practices, including new forms of circumvention. Crucially, this requires significantly strengthening the financial and human resources allocated to the European Commission's trade defence services.

Ensuring fair competition and protecting European industrial competitiveness, with European preference at its cornerstone, must remain at the heart of any effort to establish a more balanced and sustainable EU-China trade relationship.