The European Commission has recently initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of mobile cranes from China, following a formal complaint submitted by leading European manufacturers. The probe addresses growing concerns over a surge in low-priced Chinese cranes entering the EU market, allegedly under conditions that undermine fair competition.

The investigation covers mobile cranes mounted on self-propelled vehicles, designed for lifting and moving materials on land, with a lifting capacity of at least 30 tonnes. European manufacturers argue that such imports are being sold at artificially low prices, causing material injury to the domestic industry.

Members of the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association, including Liebherr, Manitowoc, Sennebogen, and Tadano, representing a significant share of the EU mobile crane sector, have submitted evidence pointing to predatory pricing practices by Chinese exporters.

According to the complaint, these exporters benefit from government subsidies, preferential tax regimes, distorted raw material pricing and favourable financing arrangements. The filing also highlights a sharp rise in Chinese crane imports into the EU, which is said to threaten more than 7,000 direct jobs, along with tens of thousands of roles across the wider supply chain.

European manufacturers have welcomed the investigation as an important first step towards restoring fair competition in the mobile crane market and safeguarding the long-term viability of Europe’s crane manufacturing industry.