BERLIN --
The European Union, the 27-nation bloc locked in a trade dispute
with China over solar-panel sales, backed a call from German Chancellor
Angela Merkel for talks to resolve the impasse.
The European Commission, the EU's trade authority in Brussels, supports
plans for a "political dialogue," Merkel said today in Berlin after
speaking with EC President Jose Manuel Barroso. No EU state would refuse
such talks if they're "substantial" and "open," she said.
The EU this month threatened to impose tariffs on
panels from China, saying European competitors may be victims of unfair
price undercutting. Companies such as Bonn-based Solarworld AG,
emboldened by similar U.S. measures against China this year, are seeking
to bolster their defenses as growing Asian competition squeezes profit
margins.
Chinese wind-energy and solar companies
including Suntech Power Holdings Co. have grabbed market share from EU
rivals that once dominated the industry. The increased competition cut
panel prices by half last year, tipping at least a dozen companies into
bankruptcy.
Merkel said in August she was seeking talks to prevent
the opening of anti-dumping proceedings in Europe. China, in turn,
called for dialogue to safeguard economic and trade ties, the Xinhua
News Agency reported Sept. 15. Europe accounts for about three-quarters
of the global photovoltaic market.
The U.S. has proposed anti-dumping duties ranging from 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar manufacturers after the Commerce Department in May ruled they sold products below cost.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/09/eu-supports-talks-with-china-to-av oid-solar-panel-tarriffs
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