Market evolution: Fishing nets and netting (CN 5608) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU trade in knotted netting, fishing nets, and other made-up nets of textile materials (Combined Nomenclature code 5608) over the period 2015–2025. The product scope covers three sub-categories: made-up knotted fishing nets of man-made fibres (560811), other knotted netting and nets of man-made materials (560819), and nets of vegetable textile materials (560890). Over the decade, the EU's trade position has shifted considerably: while both exports and imports grew substantially, imports surged at a faster pace, driven primarily by soaring volumes of non-fishing nets from China. The EU's traditional trade surplus narrowed, even as EU production more than doubled and several Member States consolidated export specialisations. This report analyses these dynamics across three main dimensions.

I. A Surge of Non-Fishing Net Imports Reshapes the EU's Trade Balance

The EU's trade surplus has eroded significantly

Over the 2015–2025 period, the EU's overall trade balance in CN 5608 products deteriorated markedly. Starting from a surplus of €23.6 million in 2015, the balance narrowed to just €6.5 million by 2025—a decline of 72.7%. At its lowest point, the surplus dipped to a mere €0.4 million, nearly reaching parity. This occurred despite exports growing by 51.3% in value (from €141.8 million to €214.6 million), because imports grew even faster at 76.1% (from €118.2 million to €208.1 million).

Import volumes more than doubled, led by non-fishing nets of man-made materials

The most striking feature of the period is the doubling of import volumes. Total import quantity rose from 26,105 tonnes in 2015 to 54,120 tonnes in 2025, an increase of 107.3%. This growth was overwhelmingly driven by one sub-product: non-fishing nets of man-made textile materials (560819), whose imports surged from 14,591 tonnes to 41,486 tonnes (+184%). By contrast, imports of fishing nets (560811) remained broadly stable (8,738t to 9,810t), and vegetable textile nets (560890) were flat at around 2,800 tonnes. The following table summarises the sub-product import evolution:

Import prices declined, signalling growing cost competitiveness of foreign supply

Import prices fell from €4,528 per tonne in 2015 to €3,845 per tonne in 2025 (−15.1%). This decline was particularly pronounced for fishing nets (from €3,548/t to €2,362/t, −33.4%), suggesting intensifying price competition from low-cost producers. Non-fishing net import prices also fell (from €5,029/t to €3,990/t, −20.7%). In contrast, vegetable textile net import prices rose from €4,976/t to €6,853/t (+37.7%), reflecting either supply constraints or a shift toward higher-value products. The combination of rising volumes and falling unit prices points to the growing competitiveness of Asian and Mediterranean suppliers in the EU market.

II. China's Dominance and Import Concentration Create New Supply Dependencies

China has become the EU's overwhelmingly dominant import supplier

The most consequential structural shift on the import side is the dramatic growth of Chinese supply. EU imports from China rose from €45.3 million in 2015 to €115.6 million in 2025, an increase of 155.5%. China's share of total non-EU imports climbed from approximately 38% to 56% over the period, making it by far the largest supplier. The volume of imports from China is reflected in the overall doubling of import quantities, which implies that the vast majority of the net growth in non-fishing net imports originated from Chinese manufacturers.

Other suppliers grew selectively but remain far behind China

Among other major import partners, several posted notable growth:

Türkiye and Morocco both more than doubled their exports to the EU, likely reflecting the reorientation of Mediterranean fishing and aquaculture supply chains. Norway, historically a significant supplier, saw a dramatic decline of 80.1%—a shift that may reflect Norway's own growing domestic processing capacity or changes in sourcing patterns for fishing gear.

Import concentration has nearly doubled, raising supply-chain risks

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for EU imports by value rose from 1,726 in 2015 to 3,244 in 2025, an increase of 88.0%. An HHI above 2,500 is generally considered to indicate a highly concentrated market. This sharp increase is almost entirely attributable to China's growing dominance and means the EU's import supply has become significantly less diversified. By contrast, export concentration remained modest (HHI rising from 689 to 769, +11.6%), reflecting the EU's diversified customer base.

The concentration on the import side is compounded by notable volatility in key supplier relationships. Volatility analysis shows that China's coefficient of variation (CV) stands at 0.353, while other suppliers such as the Philippines (CV 0.320) and Iceland (CV 0.762) show even higher instability. Several shock events were detected, including an extreme price spike for Mexican exports in 2023 (abnormality score 15.8, +74.7% shift) and a notable Faroe Islands price shock in 2019 (abnormality 9.6). These episodes underline the vulnerability that concentration creates.

III. EU Production and Export Competitiveness: Growth Amid Geographic Rebalancing

EU production has more than doubled in both volume and value

Despite growing import penetration, EU domestic production of CN 5608 products expanded dramatically. Production volume rose from 70,710 tonnes to 142,279 tonnes (+101.2%), while production value climbed from €315.5 million to €731.9 million (+132.0%). The faster growth in value than quantity indicates a rising average unit value, suggesting the EU has moved toward higher-value-added netting products. This expansion occurred even as the trade surplus was shrinking, implying that the EU's own consumption of netting products grew substantially during this period—likely driven by expanding aquaculture, construction, and agricultural applications.

Several Member States have developed strong export specialisations

Specialisation analysis reveals that certain EU countries have developed significant comparative advantages in netting exports. The most specialised producers (measured by Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage, RSCA) are:

Greece's extremely high RCA of 13.4 indicates it exports netting at a rate more than 13 times the EU average relative to its total exports. Lithuania and Portugal are similarly notable. On the export side, Spain emerged as the EU's largest exporter by value (€54.5 million in 2025, +62.2%), followed by Lithuania (€50.0 million, +118.8%) and Germany (€19.8 million, −6.5%).

Export geography shows resilience to geopolitical shifts but also price shocks

The EU's export partners evolved in response to geopolitical and commercial dynamics. Norway became the EU's single largest export destination, with exports nearly doubling from €23.6 million to €46.4 million (+96.5%). The United Kingdom, despite Brexit, remained a top-3 destination with relatively stable exports (-3.2%), suggesting that existing supply chains were resilient to new trade barriers. Exports to the United States grew by 31.5%, while those to Russia declined by 15.5%—likely reflecting the impact of sanctions following 2022.

On the import side, Germany was the EU's largest importing Member State (€44.0 million, +116.1%), followed by Italy (€24.9 million, +76.4%) and France (€24.8 million, +37.6%). Poland saw the most dramatic growth at +226.8%, rising from €3.9 million to €12.7 million—possibly reflecting Poland's growing role as a distribution hub or its expanding fishing and aquaculture sectors.

The EU's net import reliance shifted from -2.0% (net exporter) in 2015 to -3.5% in 2025 (−70.4% change), confirming the structural erosion of the EU's net-exporter status. However, export propensity surged from 10.2% to 29.4% (+188.2%), and trade intensity rose from 17.0% to 44.0% (+158.7%). These indicators show that the EU's netting sector has become far more globally integrated, both as an exporter and an importer—a hallmark of a maturing, internationally competitive industry with growing global supply chain linkages.

Conclusion

The EU market for fishing nets and netting (CN 5608) underwent a fundamental transformation between 2015 and 2025. The most consequential development has been the surge in imports of non-fishing nets of man-made materials (560819), which more than tripled in volume and which came predominantly from China. This has driven import concentration to dangerously high levels (HHI above 3,200), narrowing the EU's trade surplus from €23.6 million to just €6.5 million.

At the same time, the picture is not one of simple decline. EU domestic production more than doubled in both volume and value, indicating a robust and expanding manufacturing base. Several Member States—Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain—have developed strong export specialisations, and the EU's export propensity nearly tripled. The EU remains a competitive exporter of higher-value fishing nets and specialised netting products, with growing markets in Norway, the United States, and Switzerland.

The key challenge going forward is managing the growing import dependency on China while preserving the EU's export competitiveness. The near-doubling of import concentration represents a structural vulnerability that could expose EU industries to supply disruptions or geopolitical leverage. Policymakers may wish to consider diversification strategies—fostering closer trade ties with Türkiye, Morocco, and other emerging suppliers—while continuing to support the competitive advantages that Southern and Baltic EU exporters have built in global markets.