Vote against Germany?
EU to vote on China car tariffs this week
September 30, 2024, 11:40 a.m
The EU wants to make it more difficult for China to sell its cars in Europe. The commission accuses Beijing of using state aid to distort competition to the detriment of local manufacturers. Germany is against punitive taxes. A decision is expected to be made this week.
In the trade dispute over electric cars from China, the introduction of the planned European punitive tariffs is getting closer. According to diplomatic reports, the representatives of the 27 EU countries will vote this week on the EU Commission’s proposals to impose additional tariffs of up to 36.3 percent on electric cars imported from China. Germany had recently pushed for a negotiated solution.
In addition to the federal government, Spain has also spoken out against the tariff surcharges, while other EU countries such as France, Italy and the Baltic states support the Commission’s plans. In order to stop the introduction, a so-called qualified majority from 15 member states, which together comprise 65 percent of the European population, would be needed in Brussels on Friday. This is considered unlikely.
The EU Commission accuses Beijing of illegal subsidies for its car manufacturers and fears disadvantages for manufacturers in Europe. Brussels has therefore announced punitive tariffs that vary for individual companies. Manufacturers such as Volkswagen and their Chinese joint venture partners are to pay a surcharge of 21.3 percent for imports into the EU.
The tariffs should come into force at the end of October at the latest and initially apply for five years. Even after the tariffs have been introduced, negotiations with Beijing are still possible, it was said in Brussels. According to Commission employees, previous talks had not produced any results, and Chinese Trade Minister Wang Wentao also left Brussels in September without a compromise.
