European manufacturers could shed 300,000 jobs by the end of 2026 as competition from China intensifies, industry group Eurometal has warned. The group says Chinese suppliers are becoming increasingly embedded in European supply chains, while local factories face higher energy and labor costs. Eurometal is staging a protest outside the European Commission in Brussels on Monday, using symbolic coffins to represent threatened factories, jobs and competitiveness. China’s trade surplus with the EU has reached about €1 billion a day, sharpening calls for Brussels to rebalance the relationship. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is due to travel to Beijing in October after months of negotiations. The pressure comes as Brussels pursues policies aimed at strengthening domestic production and reducing reliance on Chinese imports, including its proposed Industrial Accelerator Act across key industrial sectors. Šefčovič has said Beijing must deliver concrete results by October or risk “harsher measures” from the EU.
