BKDMP, Bulgaria's furniture and wood industry chamber, says the European furniture confederation EFIC is worried about rising furniture imports from China. EFIC has already raised the issue with EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. The appeal is linked to his visit to Beijing on 8 October 2026.
EFIC speaks for about 80% of the European furniture industry's turnover. BKDMP is a member and defends the interests of Bulgarian wood and furniture firms at European level.
The EU imported furniture worth €8bn from China in 2019 and €12.5bn in 2025, a rise of 55.6%. EFIC calls this unfair competition. It says the EU is losing output, revenue and jobs directly, as Chinese furniture pushes European makers out of the market.
EFIC says output is already shrinking in most EU countries. Firms are closing, jobs are being lost and investment is being put off. The EU furniture sector has about 130,000 firms, 1 million jobs and turnover of more than €100bn.
EFIC also says European firms face more and more obstacles when they export to China, including standards that do not match international ones. It wants the sector's problems taken into account in the European Commission's upcoming "Communication on diversification and economic resilience". It will also take part in the Commission's consultation on a new trade tool, which deals with the risks of strategic dependence on a single supplier country.
In Bulgaria, a July survey of BKDMP members found that two thirds of firms reported falling output and sales. Among exporters, 55% said things had got worse.
Prof. Vasil Zhivkov, chairman of the chamber, said a lack of orders is the problem firms mention most often, and that this matches the situation in Europe. BKDMP backs EFIC's call for the Commission to take account of the pressure on the sector. "Bulgarian producers want fair conditions for competition," Zhivkov said.
At the end of last year, BKDMP said Bulgaria made furniture worth €535m in 2024. That is below the 2021 peak. With mattresses, total turnover is about €600m.