Brussels Breaks Impasse As EU Members Fail To Approve Chinese EV Tariffs

Chinese producers of electric vehicles will soon face steep tariffs before selling their high-end products in the European Union (EU) market, Jorge Liboreiro and Maria Psara reported for Euronews.

The EC had previously warned that without strong action, EU carmakers would suffer unsustainable, possibly irrecoverable losses and be pushed out of the lucrative market for net-zero mobility. I Photo: BYD Facebook

EU countries failed to agree on whether to impose steeper tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) during a closely watched vote that ended with too many abstentions, forcing the European Commission (EC) to overcome the political impasse and push its proposal over the finish line.

The EC had previously warned that without strong action, EU carmakers would suffer unsustainable, possibly irrecoverable losses and be pushed out of the lucrative market for net-zero mobility.

This could lead to the loss of 2.5 million direct and 10.3 million indirect jobs across the bloc.

Several diplomats told Euronews how each member state positioned itself: Ten were in favor—Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, and Poland (representing 45.99% of the EU population); 12 abstained—Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Finland (31.36%); and five were against—Germany, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia, and Slovakia (22.65%).

It was up to the EC, which has exclusive powers to set the bloc's commercial policy, to break the gridlock and ensure the duties went through.