EU Commission is already probing Chinese electric vehicle subsidies.
The European Union is planning to launch an investigation into Chinese subsidies for wind turbine suppliers, Politico reports. The news outlet claims to have previewed a speech European Union Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is set to deliver later today. The investigation would specifically concern wind parks in Spain, Greece, France, Romania, and Bulgaria. According to Reuters, Vestager is set to speak at Princeton University, where she will advocate for a more systematic approach to launch investigations, adding that “we need to do it before it is too late. We can’t afford to see what happened on solar panels happening again on electric vehicles, wind or essential chips.”
According to the think tank Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, the Chinese wind energy industry benefits from various direct and indirect industrial subsidies. The EU Commission believes sufficient evidence exists for similar Chinese measures in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In response, the Commission launched an investigation last year, which is still ongoing. Countering competition from the People’s Republic was also part of the agenda during a trilateral meeting of the economic ministers of France, Germany, and Italy this week. The central outcomes were strengthening Europe’s green tech industry and closer collaboration on raw materials.
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