No sanctions, but EU continues anti-subsidy solar panel probe

The European Commission said Wednesday it would not impose sanctions on Chinese solar panels, but would continue to investigate unfair subsidy concerns. The European Commission had an opportunity to impose provisional duties in the anti-subsidy proceedings concerning "solar panels, cells and wafers originating in the People's Republic of China," the commission said in a statement. The commission has nine months after opening an investigation in which to impose provisional duties on a product under investigation. In this case, Aug. 8 is the deadline for an investigation that began Nov. 8. At this point, the commission has until Dec. 5 to decide on definitive sanctions on anti-subsidy concerns although the issue may have been made moot by an agreement in July between China and the European Commission to drop duties for Chinese solar panels in exchange for Chinese companies charging at least an agreed upon minimum for their products. The European Commission had been running "parallel" investigations, one covering product dumping and the other covering unfair government subsidies. Having settled the anti-dumping matter in July, the commission said Wednesday any "injury to union industry has already been removed at the preliminary stage by the provisional anti-dumping measures and the price understanding on the same products." "The decision not to impose any provisional anti-subsidy measures does not, however, in any event, prejudice any subsequent decision which may be taken at the definitive stage of this proceeding," the commission said.