European Union launches anti-subsidy investigation against Chinese manufacturers

Brussels has opened an investigation targeting Chinese wind turbine manufacturers suspected of having received subsidies distorting competition in the European market, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager announced on Tuesday April 9. “We are studying the conditions for developing wind farms in Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria”declared Margrethe Vestager in the United States, during a speech at Princeton University.

After automobiles, railways and solar panels, the European Union is therefore entering into a new standoff with China, against a backdrop of trade tensions with the Asian giant. The investigation is part of new European rules that came into force in mid-2023 to prevent subsidies from third countries suspected of creating unfair competition in calls for tender.

Margrethe Vestager did not provide details on the companies or the procedures involved. Brussels opened its first investigation in mid-February within the framework of the new anti-subsidy regulations, targeting a subsidiary of the Chinese railway manufacturer CRRC, the world number one in the sector.