Virtually any economist will tell you that free trade is the best thing for the welfare of all. Some will tell you that it has to be be free and 'fair' trade.
What is certainly true is that consumers benefit from the lower prices due to competition caused by free trade. European consumers have certainly benefited massively from cheaper goods made in China in recent years.
Of course there are losers as well as winners in this process. Many of those who made goods now supplied by the Chinese have lost their jobs and some firms have closed down. The knowledge that these resources are now released to be used in more profitable areas of the EU economy is of little consolation to the unemployed.
Governments are not good at practising what they preach. While a government claims to support free trade they are nervous about the votes of those adversely affected in the declining industries. They act to protect them and slow the transition, or even stop it.
One way of defying free trade is to claim a competitor is 'dumping' goods on the market. That technically means they are selling the goods at a price below the cost of production. The motives for a country doing this would be to raise domestic employment or to destroy the industry of another country in order to then monopolise that market.
The EU has just announced a tax (called a tariff or duty) on Chinese ceramics. Around half the cups, plates etc sold in the UK are made in China. The duty can be as much as 58.8%!
The EU is allowed to do this as an interim measure while the matter is investigated. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) can intervene but that takes a couple of years. Sadly the EU is quick to suspect dumping, usually due to complaints from EU firms and it is rarely true. The Chinese, in this case, are simply cheaper.
The attached article reveals a surprising number of cases where the EU has acted to restrict trade. In this case there seems to be more opposition that support for the move within the EU itself.