EU to Delay Full Tariffs on China Solar Panels

EU to Delay Full Tariffs on China Solar Panels
dj
Τρι, 4 Ιουνίου 2013 - 19:30
The European Union will delay for two months the full impact of import tariffs it planned to put on Chinese solar panel equipment, to allow Chinese manufacturers to negotiate a settlement with European authorities that could defuse one of the biggest disputes over unfair trade in recent decades, officials said Tuesday.
The European Union will delay for two months the full impact of import tariffs it planned to put on Chinese solar panel equipment, to allow Chinese manufacturers to negotiate a settlement with European authorities that could defuse one of the biggest disputes over unfair trade in recent decades, officials said Tuesday.

The tariffs will come into force Thursday at around a quarter of the level seen in a European Commission plan circulated last month that called for tariffs of between 37.3% and 67.9%, depending on the company, officials said. The tariffs--which will cover solar panels and their main components, solar cells and poly-silicon--were supposed to average around 47%.

The Commission, the EU's executive arm, is giving Chinese solar panel manufacturers until Aug. 6 to propose an acceptable alternative to the tariff plan. In trade disputes this is usually a commitment to sell solar panels in the 27-nation EU above a minimum price. If an agreement isn't reached, the tariffs will come into force at the originally-planned level.

European solar panel manufacturers, led by the German firm SolarWorld AG (SWV.XE), sought the tariffs in a complaint filed with the Commission last year. Chinese-made panels now account for roughly 80% of the European market. European manufacturers allege Chinese firms have sent prices plummeting and forced dozens of European firms to shut production and seek bankruptcy protection.

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