EU anti-dumping duties aim at restoring level playing field

Low duties means that China gets off lightly.

European solar Industry association EU ProSun said the Europeqn Commission’s anti-dumping duties imposed on China last week were below 50% because the EU applies a so-called “lesser duty rule,” imposing only enough duty needed to restore a level playing field.

"Such a low duty means that China gets off lightly, but crucially it is enough to allow the European solar industry back into the game, and this time the game has to be fair," said Milan Nitzschke, president of EU ProSun.

The industry group that claims it represents a majority of European PV manufacturers said three years of Chinese dumping caused thousands of Europeans to lose their jobs and 60 European factory closures, of which 30 were in Germany alone.

Nitzschke refuted claims that the duties would dampen European solar market growth. Duties imposed by the U.S. last year on China for similar antidumping reasons had not led to a decline in the market; rather, it had led to a market expansion.