EU prolongs curbs on Chinese solar imports

The European Union’s executive on Wednesday prolonged by 18 months anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on Chinese solar panel exports, but said it would phase out the measures during that period, The Wall Street Journal reports. EU member states in December 2013 imposed definitive duties of an average of around 50% on imports of solar panels from China in one of the biggest-ever disputes over unfair trade under the decades-old regime of international trade rules. The measures were due to expire later this week. The decision by the member states followed in-depth investigations by the European Commission, the bloc’s executive, which found that Chinese companies were selling solar panels in Europe below their market price and were receiving illegal subsidies, to the detriment of EU solar panel manufacturers.