European Union countries support imposing duties on Chinese electric cars

The European Commission said in a statement: “Today’s decision by the European Commission to impose fees on Chinese electric cars received the necessary support from European Union countries.”

The European Commission also indicated in its statement that it intends to “continue seeking to settle this problem with China within the framework of the World Trade Organization.”

Agence France-Presse reported that only 10 of the 27 European Union countries supported the European Commission’s initiative, while Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta opposed the decision for fear of a large-scale trade war with Beijing, while 12 countries abstained from voting.

According to the agency, the countries did not support the European Commission’s intention to increase customs duties to 45% of the price of Chinese cars, but they agreed to the temporary duties currently in effect, and set their ceiling at 35%.

Earlier, Brussels reported that the duties on electric cars manufactured in China came in response to the financial support provided by Beijing to Chinese electric car manufacturers.

The European Commission claims that these measures should neutralize the “risk of economic damage” to which European manufacturers may be exposed due to the “huge and unfair subsidies” provided by the Chinese authorities to Chinese brands.

Source: TASS