Chinese PVA imports face 9-month registration as probe reopens

Imports of certain Chinese polyvinyl alcohols (PVA) made by the Sinopec group must be registered at the EU border from 10 October 2026Tulli for nine monthsTulli, alongside the reopened anti-dumping investigation, after the Union courts partly annulled the duty rate for Sinopec-group productEuropa. Registration preserves the option of levying duties retroactively on the registered imports if the reopened investigation ends that wayEuropa; it is not itself a dutyEuropa.

The product concerned is defined precisely: certain polyvinyl alcohols, whether or not containing unhydrolysed acetate groups, in the form of homopolymer resinsEuropa with a viscosity of 3 mPa s to 61 mPa s (measured in 4 per cent aqueous solution at 20 °C) and a degree of hydrolysis of 80.0 mol per cent to 99.9 mol per cent, both measured by the ISO 15023-2 method, currently classified under CN code ex 3905 30 00Tulli (Taric code 3905 30 00 91)Tulli, originating in ChinaTulli and manufactured by the Sinopec groupTulli. The legal basis is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2245Europa of 8 October 2026Europa, adopted under Article 14(5) of the basic anti-dumping Regulation (EU) 2016/1036.

The court background matters for what happens next. The General Court partly annulled Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1336Europa — which had imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese PVAEuropa — in Case T-762/20 Sinopec Chongqing SVW and Others v Commission (21 February 2024), as regards the duty rate for Sinopec-group importsEuropa. The Court of Justice confirmed that outcome in Case C-319/24 PEuropa (3 September 2026), but only as regards the downward adjustments to the export price under Article 2(10)(i) of the basic RegulationEuropa. The Commission reopened the investigation by notice C/2026/5252Tulli, published 9 October 2026Europa, to implement the judgment — and ordered registration on its own initiative so that the duty outcome can still bite on imports arriving during the review.

Alongside registration, collection of the definitive anti-dumping duties on Sinopec-group PVA from China is suspendedTulli from 9 October 2026Tulli pending the re-examination's outcomeTulli. Because the amount of any resulting customs debt is currently uncertain, applications for repayment or remission of those duties will not be decided until the implementing regulation concluding the re-examination enters into forceEuropa.

For importers and customs declarants, the practical points are: declare the affected goods under Taric code 3905 30 00 91Tulli so the declaration identifies them as the registered product; expect no immediate additional charge at registrationEuropa; do not assume the suspended duty is gone — a retroactive levy remains possibleEuropa; and hold off on repayment or remission applications for Sinopec-group PVA until the review concludes, since national customs authorities will not decide them before thenEuropa. Tulli notes that the Commission handles the investigation for the whole EU and that Tulli itself has no decision-making power in the matter.

Legal basis: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2245 (registration from 10 October 2026, nine months)Tulli and notice C/2026/5252 (reopening of the PVA anti-dumping investigation)Tulli, implementing the judgments in T-762/20 and C-319/24 P in relation to Regulation (EU) 2020/1336Europa.