During the European Parliament plenary session on 1 February, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström reiterated that the Commission is continuing to analyse all possible options and that a more in-depth impact assessment will be prepared regarding the effects on European businesses of granting market economy status to China.

The issue was also addressed at Council level, where the Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Carlo Calenda, confirmed Italy's opposition to the idea of automatically granting MES and, in line with industry demands, reiterated the need for the EU to carry out a more accurate assessment of the economic impact.

The emerging solution would be to formally recognise MES for China, while implementing safeguards for the existing anti-dumping system alongside additional measures, in order to protect sectors that are not currently affected but could be in the future. Indeed, if granted under current conditions, market economy status would have a very significant impact on the EU's trade defence system, with dumping margins being drastically lower and insufficient to protect Italian and European businesses, as they would be based on values that do not correspond to market dynamics.

Confindustria has long been active at both national and European levels, raising awareness among institutional stakeholders at the highest levels. The organisation is present alongside associations at all ministerial working groups, as well as in the European debate through interventions with BusinessEurope, Members of the European Parliament, and other stakeholders, contributing significantly to the work of AEGIS, an association representing 30 industrial sectors at the European level that is engaged in an extensive information campaign.