PiS MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska submitted a question to the European Commission regarding unfair competition from Chinese manufacturers of baby strollers.
Jadwiga Wiśniewska reported that the baby stroller manufacturing industry—which is crucial for both the Polish and EU economies—is in a critical situation due to unfair Chinese competition and a lack of action by the EU. She noted that nearly all baby strollers manufactured in the EU come from the Częstochowa region in the Silesian Voivodeship, where the entire supply chain is concentrated. She explained that this makes the EU independent of foreign ties and reduces its carbon footprint. She noted that these companies are mainly small and medium-sized family-run businesses, on which the competitiveness of the European economy relies and which should be under the EU’s special protection. “Polish companies account for the majority of stroller and car seat production in the EU, and in 2021 alone, the value of exports exceeded half a billion zlotys,” she said, presenting data on stroller manufacturers.
“The Chinese government, through protectionist practices, subsidizes domestic manufacturers at every stage of production and distribution,” the MEP noted. She pointed out that Chinese companies benefit from low tariffs to the EU—at 2.7 percent—while exports of strollers to China are subject to a tariff as high as 25 percent. “Chinese companies, capitalizing on European consumers’ economic patriotism, label their products—which are merely assembled in the EU—as European,” — she cited as an example of unfair Chinese practices aimed at eliminating European manufacturers and exploiting the lack of EU regulations in this area. She pointed out that the deteriorating situation of European manufacturers is also influenced by the fact that, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they lost their position in eastern markets, which were then taken over by Chinese companies.
In light of this, Jadwiga Wiśniewska asked the Commission whether it would introduce regulations regarding the labeling of products manufactured in the EU, so that such labeling would not apply solely to items assembled in the EU. She also wanted to know whether, in order to protect the internal market, the European Commission plans to take measures to counter unfair competition from Chinese companies and, in this regard, plans to launch an investigation into the activities of Chinese manufacturers of baby strollers. “Does the European Commission plan to introduce regulations to mitigate the effects of the closure of Eastern markets on European stroller manufacturers?” the MEP asked.
