European Commission scraps plans for candle duties

The duty could have been introduced this month and would have doubled the dockside price of candles from China for at least five years.

But the plans have been dropped from the agenda of the EU anti-dumping committee, which is due to meet next Wednesday (October 22), although the Commission still has the option of reviving the plans in spring.

Earlier this year, Brussels launched an investigation after some European candle makers claimed China was selling candles into the EU at below the cost of manufacture.

British Retail Consortium director-general Stephen Robertson said: “This is good news for customers and a significant achievement in the BRC’s campaign against these duties.

“While cheaper candles alone will only make a small difference to customers worried about mounting inflation, an EU committed to free trade matters much more and this is a move in that direction.”

The Commission has already imposed import duties on shoes and plastic bags from China and there are plans to impose duties on imported screws. Duties on imported light bulbs were scrapped earlier this year.