EU confirms punitive duties on Chinese solar panels

Brussels - The EU member states have backed the European Commission

The Council confirmed the level of the duty for those Chinese exporters of solar panels who cooperated with the investigations. The anti-dumping duties will range from 27.3 per cent to 64.9 per cent while definitive anti-subsidy duties are to range from 3.5% to 11.5% and will apply for two years as of 6 December 2013.

The imposition of definitive measures is to be seen in the context of the amicable solution reached this summer with China which resulted in the undertaking. This undertaking, applied as part of the anti-dumping proceedings, is now confirmed and has been extended to the anti-subsidy proceeding. Hence, the final anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duty rates will apply only to those exports from China which do not meet the conditions set out in the undertaking. Roughly 75% of Chinese solar panel exports to the EU are now covered by the undertaking and are hence not subject to any anti-dumping or anti-subsidy duties.

The decisions came after a fifteen-month investigation for the anti-dumping case and thirteen month investigation for the anti-subsidy case, launched in September 2012 and November 2012 respectively. During these investigations the Commission found that Chinese companies were selling solar panels in Europe at far below their normal market prices and were receiving illegal subsidies, causing significant harm to EU solar panel producers.

Source: IWR Online, 03 Dec 2013