STA Backs European Dissent To Tariffs
The STA understands that 18 member states have voted against provisional duties on Chinese solar panels, with four in favour and five abstaining. This two thirds majority shows that Governments across Europe are urging the Commission not to impose these duties, which would destroy jobs and inhibit growth in the European solar industry.
STA CEO Paul Barwell and PV Specialist Ray Noble joined Energy Minister Greg Barker and Government officials in Brussels last Thursday to urge the Commission not to impose these duties. Germany and the UK have been particularly active in lobbying against the proposals.
Paul Barwell said, "The results of this vote send a strong signal to the European Commission that these duties would do much more damage than good to the European solar industry. If duties are imposed, panel prices will rise across the board, and consumers and installers alike will lose out. It makes no sense to safeguard 8,000 manufacturing jobs by sacrificing up to 200,000 jobs in the wider industry."
In spite of this majority vote, the European Commission could still go ahead with provisional duties ranging from 37% and 67%. The Commission is expected to announce its decision on 5th June.
Ray Noble, the STA's PV Specialist, said, "We understand that under EU rules, despite a clear majority vote, the Commissioner can still go ahead and impose these duties. I suggest David Cameron and Angela Merkel work together to sort out these absurd rules and remove this lingering market uncertainty, so that industry can get on with installing low cost, clean and affordable solar energy."
