EU delays imposing tariffs on Chinese solar panels
European Commission waives its first opportunity to impose provisional duties
The European Union refrained from imposing preliminary anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese solar panels, opting to wait four more months to assess whether such levies were warranted in the biggest EU trade fight of its kind.
The commission, the 28-nation EU's regulatory arm, will study whether "definitive" anti-subsidy levies should be applied no later than December 8.
Five days ago, the commission approved an agreement with China to curb EU imports of solar panels as part of a parallel probe into below-cost sales, a practice known as dumping.
The accord, which took effect yesterday, sets a minimum price and a volume limit on EU imports of Chinese solar panels until the end of 2015. Chinese manufacturers that take part are being spared provisional EU anti-dumping duties as high as 67.9 per cent.
The European Commission has yet to make public the minimum price, but Bloomberg quoted an unnamed EU trade official as saying that some 7 gigawatts (GW) of panels would be allowed to be sold to the EU at not less than 70 US cents per watt, similar to current prices.