Market evolution: Sound and video parts (CN 852290) — 2015–2025
Introduction
The EU market for parts and accessories of sound and video equipment (CN 852290) underwent a profound structural transformation between 2015 and 2025. Characterized by a massive contraction in trade volumes, the period saw the EU's trade balance improve from a deficit of over €206 million to near parity. This shift was driven by a dramatic collapse in imports, particularly from Asia, while exports proved more resilient. The following report examines the key dynamics behind this evolution, focusing on the reshaping of supply chains, the EU's changing trade position, and the underlying market structure.
1. The Collapse of Asian Sourcing and the Reshaping of Supply Chains
The most striking trend in the EU's trade for CN 852290 is the near-complete withdrawal of traditional Asian suppliers from the European market. This collapse is the primary driver of the overall decline in import volumes and values.
Traditional manufacturing hubs ceased to be primary EU suppliers
Imports from the top seven non-EU partners all experienced dramatic declines. Most notably, imports from the Philippines, Thailand, and Hong Kong effectively ceased, falling by over 99%. This pattern suggests a fundamental relocation or shutdown of assembly and component manufacturing activities serving the EU.
| Partner | 2015 (EUR) | 2025 (EUR) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | 34,721,604 | 37,368 | -99.9 |
| Thailand | 37,009,569 | 332,101 | -99.1 |
| Hong Kong | 28,194,178 | 167,627 | -99.4 |
China's role diminished but persisted
China remained the largest single source of imports, but its share also contracted significantly. Imports from China fell by 79.6%, from €113 million in 2015 to €23 million in 2025. This indicates that while China's export-oriented electronics assembly model is under pressure, it has not been completely displaced from the EU market for these specific parts.
Import volatility was high, especially for smaller suppliers
The coefficient of variation for imports was extremely high for several partners, including Indonesia (1.34) and Singapore (1.48), confirming the instability and ultimate disappearance of these supply lines. A notable price shock was detected for imports from Hong Kong in 2023, with abnormal price increases coinciding with the wind-down of trade.
2. The EU's Journey to Import Autonomy and Export Stability
The collapse in imports directly led to a dramatic improvement in the EU's trade balance and a significant reduction in its reliance on foreign suppliers for these components.
The trade deficit nearly vanished
The EU's trade balance evolved from a deficit of -€206.2 million in 2015 to just -€7.1 million in 2025, a 96.6% improvement. This shift was driven entirely by the 80.7% decline in imports, as the overall value of exports also declined, albeit by a smaller 28.3%.
| Metric (EUR) | 2015 | 2025 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imports | 268,346,747 | 51,691,114 | -80.7 |
| Exports | 62,171,368 | 44,589,141 | -28.3 |
| Balance | -206,175,378 | -7,101,973 | 96.6 |
Net import reliance fell sharply
Consequently, the EU's net import reliance collapsed from 42.0% in 2015 to 11.0% in 2025. The EU is now almost self-sufficient in this product category. Similarly, trade intensity (total trade as a share of apparent consumption) dropped from 56.6% to 33.4%, confirming the market has become more insular.
EU exports found stability in select markets
While overall exports declined, they showed more stability than imports. The United States and United Kingdom remained the top destinations. Notably, exports to the United States even grew by 9.6%. This suggests EU-based exporters may be specializing in higher-value or niche segments that remain competitive globally.
3. Concentration, Specialisation, and a Contracting Domestic Industry
Underlying the trade shifts is a consolidation of the EU's domestic production landscape, with activity focusing in fewer member states and overall output declining.
EU production value contracted significantly
The value of EU production for CN 852290 fell by 42.2%, from €780.6 million in 2015 to €450.8 million in 2025. This decline is more severe than the drop in exports, indicating that the shrinking import bill is partly due to a reduction in overall market size, not just a substitution of foreign with domestic suppliers.
Specialisation became more pronounced
Trade specialization, as measured by Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA), concentrated in a few member states. In 2025, Austria, Latvia, France, and Denmark showed the highest comparative advantage in exporting these parts. Conversely, large economies like Poland and Ireland displayed strong comparative disadvantage, meaning they are net importers relative to their overall trade profiles.
Market concentration increased on the import side
The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for import concentration rose by 11.0% from 2,316 to 2,570, moving from a moderately concentrated to a highly concentrated market structure. This confirms that while the volume of imports from many Asian partners disappeared, the remaining trade is more dependent on a narrower set of sources, primarily China.
Conclusion
The period 2015-2025 was defined by a strategic withdrawal of Asian manufacturing from the EU supply chain for sound and video parts. This led to a historic improvement in the EU's trade balance and a sharp decline in import reliance. However, this "reshoring" effect is incomplete; it occurred alongside a significant contraction in the overall domestic market, with EU production value falling sharply. The market now exhibits greater geographic concentration in its remaining trade flows and stronger regional specialization within the EU. The key takeaway is that the EU has achieved greater autonomy in this sector, but within the context of a smaller industrial base and with persistent, though reduced, dependence on Chinese imports.