EU anti-subsidy probe into electric vehicle imports from China

At a Glance 18-10-2023

On 4 October 2023, the European Commission published a notice of initiation of EU anti-subsidy investigations into EU imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China. This has already been announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her State of the Union Address on 13 September 2023. She stated that the 'global market is flooded with cheaper electric vehicles' the price of which 'is kept artificially low' owing to 'huge state subsidies'. The probe comes after a surge in EU imports of electric vehicles (EVs) from China, outstripping other Chinese export markets. It may result in the Commission levying countervailing tariffs on EU imports of BEVs from China to offset state subsidies, if substantiated, and to level the playing field.