The European Union announced on Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into Chinese wind turbine manufacturers. They are suspected of having benefited from undue subsidies. This is the third time in two months that the EU has used its new arsenal to fight foreign subsidies. Since last fall, the commission has taken aim at Chinese industry.
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The European Commission has put in place a wind action plan in which it plans to closely monitor all foreign subsidies intended for this sector. In this context, on Tuesday it opened an investigation targeting wind turbine manufacturers subsidized by Beijing and suspected of distorting the market in Europe.
The Commission has not communicated the names of the Chinese manufacturers targeted. However, we know that these are public contracts for the construction of wind farms in five member countries:Romania, BulgariaSpain, Greece and France.
In the EU, Chinese wind turbines are sold at prices up to 50% lower than those of European competitors, says WindEurope, the sector’s European lobby. “ It is not possible to do this without unfair public subsidies », assures Giles Dickson, its general director, who welcomed the announcement of the investigation.
“ ThereChina has built a dominant position by not always playing fair. For us, China is both a partner in the fight against climate change, an economic competitor and a systemic rival. Our economies cannot absorb it. This is not only dangerous for our competitiveness. It also jeopardizes our economic security. We have seen how one-sided dependencies can be used against us. This is why Europe is reacting », Explained Margrete Vestager, European Commissioner responsible for competition.
This is the fourth time since October that the European Commission has taken on Chinese companies head-on. Imports of electric vehicles, trains and solar panels are already in the spotlight thanks to the new European regulation which makes it possible to screen foreign subsidies, including those granted by the Chinese government.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the EU, for its part, denounced “ an act of economic coercion ” and the “ continued deployment of new tools against Chinese companies “.