European coffin makers seek EU probe into cheap Chinese imports

A new coalition takes the case to Brussels

European coffin makers, an industry that until now had no dedicated lobby representation, have formed a coalition to press Brussels over imports from China. Organizers of the initiative told Politico that the group has already met European Commission officials, including staff from the trade department. The coalition is preparing an anti-dumping complaint, a formal request asking the EU to examine whether Chinese producers sell coffins in Europe at unfairly low prices. According to the organizers, the initiative fills a gap in representation, since the sector had no organized presence in Brussels before now. The coalition has not yet agreed on a name.

A shrinking producer base

Folco Ciulli, a consultant helping coordinate the complaint, says about a quarter of European coffin makers have shut down over the past five years, with their number falling from around 120 to 90. He argues that the surviving firms have absorbed only half of the production previously handled by the companies that closed. Customs codes cited by La Stampa put the value of Chinese wooden coffin imports into Europe at 28 million euros in 2025, up from 16 million in 2022.

202216

202528

2022

16 EUR million

2025

28 EUR million

Data from the article text

“Smaller companies were unable to withstand competition from non-European importers.”

The price gap at the centre of the case

Manufacturers estimate that producing a coffin in China costs about one-third of an equivalent product in Italy, even when the same type of wood is used. They attribute the difference to state subsidies, export-related tax benefits, lower labor costs and cheaper timber, and they say Chinese producers also benefit from preferential raw-material supply chains. In their view, higher US tariffs on Chinese goods have redirected production toward Europe. A parliamentary question from Fratelli d'Italia MEPs a year earlier cited a production cost of about 260 euros per coffin in Italy against about 80 euros in China, with Chinese coffins sold in Europe for between 100 and 110 euros.

Italy260

China80

Italy

260 EUR per coffin

China

80 EUR per coffin

Data from the article text

The same parliamentary question warned that Chinese coffins are finished with paints banned in the EU, which release carcinogenic microparticles during cremation, and that such products enter the market without effective customs checks. Low prices alone, however, do not amount to dumping under EU trade rules. A complaint would have to show that sales are made below normal value and that domestic producers are harmed as a result.

Commission response and next steps

A Commission spokesperson said the EU takes robust action against unfairly traded imports and currently has a large set of trade defence measures in place.

“The EU takes robust action to protect its industries from unfairly traded imports and at present has over 200 measures in place.”

The spokesperson declined to confirm the meetings with manufacturers, saying that contacts with industry over possible trade defence complaints are confidential. In its answer to the earlier parliamentary question, the Commission said it intervenes when the necessary conditions are present, and it invited the industry to contact the trade defence complaints office to discuss the procedure. At the time of reporting, the anti-dumping complaint was still being prepared, so no formal investigation had been opened.