Italian Tile Producers Decry India Imports

BOLOGNA, Italy — Confindustria Ceramica, the Italian tile-industry association, renewed its call for stricter control on what it considers unfair-trade tactics by Indian exporters.

Confindustria Ceramica issued a statement at the start of the international Cersaie trade event in Bologna today to check the flow of goods from India, possibly with stronger tariff action.

The statement noted India’s increase in exports to the European Union (EU). Confindustria Cermica stated that India increased its shipments to the EU by 235% since 2018, while European ceramic tile consumption grew by 2%.

The Italian trade group stated that, in the past decade, India’s ceramic tile production capacity increased from 1.2 billion to 3.7 billion square meters per year, “allowing India to gain significant market share not only in the EU but also in the United States and the rest of the world.”

The EU acknowledged anti-dumping behavior by Indian exporters in February 2023 with ceramic-tile tariffs ranging from 6.7% to 8.7%. Since then, according to Confindustria Ceramica, stated that Indian exports to the EU increased by imports continued to increase by iapproximately 67% while the overall European market shrank by about 20%. 

“In response, the European institutions have acknowledged that these actions are ineffective and have expressed their willingness to explore further solutions to counter India’s unfair practices,” the statement noted.

Confindustria Ceramica recognized the recent action by U.S. tile producers to seek tariffs of 328% to 489% on India’s ceramic tile exports.

“The European ceramic tile industry is urging the new European Commission to likewise implement adequate measures to combat unfair competition at the EU level,” the statement concluded.