Customs fraud on Chinese wind towers: 500,000 euros recovered

WEDNESDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2026

Italian customs and the European Public Prosecutor's Office recovered about 500,000 euros in evaded anti-dumping duties and VAT on wind towers from China declared under a manipulated tariff classification. The duty reaches 19.2% and expires on 17 December 2026 unless reviewed.

Customs fraud on Chinese wind towers: Italy's Customs and Monopolies Agency, coordinated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), has contested and recovered about 500,000 euros in evaded anti-dumping duties and VAT. According to the announcement of 11 November 2026, the scheme relied on a tariff classification designed to avoid the duty.

Customs fraud on wind towers: what was contested

The investigation was carried out by the EPPO unit of the Agency's Anti-Fraud Directorate, together with the customs offices of Cagliari and Savona and the anti-fraud offices of the regional directorates of Sardinia, Sicily and Lazio. The announcement does not name the importers, the number of shipments or the customs code declared instead of the correct one. It only says that the goods were wind power components originating in China and that the classification had been manipulated to keep them out of the duties.

The amount of about 500,000 euros includes both the anti-dumping duty and the related VAT, which at import is also calculated on the duty. The sums have already been paid and therefore recovered. The case falls under the EPPO because customs duties are a resource of the EU budget.

The anti-dumping duty in force since 2021

The measure that was circumvented is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2239 of 15 December 2021. It covers utility scale steel wind towers, with or without a foundation section, designed for wind turbines of at least 1 megawatt and at least 50 metres tall. The key figures of the regulation:

• Codes covered: CN ex 7308 20 00 and ex 7308 90 98 for towers imported on their own, ex 8502 31 00 when they arrive as part of a wind turbine.
• Individual rates: 7.2% for Penglai Dajin, 7.5% for Chengxi Shipyard, 14.4% for Suzhou Titan.
• Other Chinese companies that cooperated in the investigation: 11.2%.
• All other companies: 19.2%, the highest rate.
• Expiry: the measures lapse at midnight on 17 December 2026 unless a review is initiated (Commission notice of 20 March 2026).

The duty applies to the net, free-at-Union-frontier price, before duty. When the tower arrives together with the turbine, the customs declaration must state the value of the tower alone, and the anti-dumping duty is calculated on that value.

Why classification decides how much you pay

An anti-dumping duty does not depend on the trade name of the goods, but on the code they are classified under and on their origin. A tower declared under a code other than those listed in the regulation, for example as a generic steel structure, falls outside the measure and pays only the ordinary duty. This is the kind of error, deliberate or not, that post-clearance checks look for.

A second sensitive point concerns the individual rates. To obtain 7.2%, 7.5% or 14.4%, the importer must present at customs a commercial invoice with a declaration signed by an official of the producer, in the wording set out in the regulation. Without that declaration the 19.2% rate applies, even if the goods really come from one of the producers with a lower rate.

What it means for importers from China

Wind towers are a niche product, but the mechanism applies to every product subject to anti-dumping duties, from bicycles to aluminium to chemicals. The case points to three things that matter to any importer.

The first is that liability stays with the importer. If the code is wrong, customs recovers the duty from the declarant, normally the importer, even when the classification was suggested by the supplier or the forwarder. The second is that checks come after clearance: the goods may already be installed when the claim starts, with duty, VAT and interest to pay together. The third is that cooperation between Italian customs and the EPPO makes it more likely that a classification error on goods hit by anti-dumping duties is treated as fraud rather than a simple mistake.

It is therefore worth checking the TARIC code before placing the order and not at clearance, verifying whether an additional anti-dumping code exists for that code and origin, and asking the producer for the invoice declaration when it is entitled to an individual rate.

What happens after 17 December

The 2021 regulation lasts five years. In March the Commission published the notice of impending expiry: EU producers could request a review by 17 September 2026. If a review is initiated, the duty stays in force for the whole investigation; if not, it lapses on 17 December. To date we have not found a notice of initiation of a review, so anyone planning to buy towers or wind components from China should check the TARIC database close to that date.

In any case, a possible expiry does not wipe out past imports: duties owed on goods cleared while the measure was in force remain due.

Before the next order

With La Merce, importers of steel components or machinery from China check the TARIC code and any anti-dumping duties, such as the 19.2% on wind towers in force until 17 December 2026, before signing the order and not after the goods arrive.

Let's talk about your productprojectconceptgoalbrandproductprojectconceptgoalbrandproductprojectconceptgoalbrandproduct