Several European carmakers on Wednesday expressed opposition to the move by the European Commission (EC) to impose countervailing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), saying such a protectionist move will only harm the European auto industry.
The strong rejection from European auto groups underscored the unpopularity of the EC's move, as well as the politicization of trade issues by the executive body of the EU, given the opposition comes from an industry that the EC claims to protect with the additional tariffs.
Following weeks of speculation and postponed deadlines, the EC announced that it would slap extra tariffs of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese EVs, starting in July, as a result of a so-called anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EV makers launched in October 2023.
