BRUSSELS — Eurometal will stage a protest using 10 symbolic coffins in a procession around the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on Monday. The industry trade body predicts 300,000 job losses in EU manufacturing for the remainder of 2026 due to expanding competition from China.

The coffins used in the Eurometal protest will be marked with phrases such as “EU competitiveness”, “industrial jobs” and “European factories”. Alexander Julius is the president of Eurometal.

Julius attributed the decline in European industrial capacity to strategic decisions by Beijing. "China has made no secret of what it is doing. It is in their five-year plan," he said in an interview.

He argued that the shift extends beyond basic manufacturing inputs. "China doesn’t want to be a raw material supplier, it wants to be a finished product supply. They want to be in key product supply chains because they know that once they control the supply chain, they own the complete value chain," Julius said.

Julius stated that the undervaluation of the Chinese currency, the yuan, makes it challenging for European manufacturers to compete with Chinese rivals. He pointed to regulatory disparities that place domestic producers at a disadvantage.

European metal manufacturers face tariffs on steel imports and carbon emissions taxes. Components manufactured in China do not face European Union tariffs on steel imports or carbon emissions taxes.

A statement from Eurometal warned of broader economic damage. "When manufacturing leaves Europe, Europe not only loses production but investment, knowhow and long-term economic resilience," the organization said.

The dispute occurs against a backdrop of trade imbalances. China has a record €1bn-a-day trade surplus with the European Union. The European Union has a €360bn annual import/export imbalance with China.

Regulators have taken steps to address the flow of goods. The European Union imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports in 2024. The European Union introduced higher tariffs on imports of foreign steel in June.

An analysis by the European Commission in June projected potential job losses of more than 1 million due to high energy costs and global competition. Maroš Šefčovič is the European Union’s trade commissioner.

Diplomatic efforts are underway to manage the tension. The European Union and China have agreed to hold three months of talks ending in October to try to avert a trade war.

Beijing has rejected accusations of unfair practices. China has accused Europe of protectionism. China threatened “resolute countermeasures should the EU further target Chinese companies or products”, according to the state-owned Xinhua agency earlier this year.

Why It Matters

The protest shows the scale of the economic friction between the two largest trading blocs. With Eurometal forecasting 300,000 job losses and the European Commission projecting more than 1 million, the manufacturing sector faces substantial pressure from high energy costs and global competition.

What's New

The peaceful demonstration will take place in the European Quarter, centered around the European Commission’s Berlaymont building on 7 September 2026. This detail clarifies the specific location and date of the planned action.

The European Commission is executive branch of the European Union. The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 European states. These facts provide institutional context for the entities involved in the trade dispute.