The European Commission on Friday last week ruled that 21 Taiwanese and five Malaysian solar energy suppliers are exempt from duties imposed on Chinese solar photovoltaic panels and cells shipped from Taiwan and Malaysia to the 28-nation bloc.
The nation’s major solar cell makers — Motech Industries Inc (茂迪), Neo Solar Power Corp (新日光), Gintech Energy Corp (昱晶) and Sino-American Silicon Products Inc (SAS, 中美矽晶) — are among those exempt from paying the tariffs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
One Taiwanese importer has been accused of importing solar panels from China and relabeling the products as “made in Taiwan” before selling them to the EU to avoid tariffs.
Companies not on the exemption list face up to 64.9 percent in duties: 53.4 percent in anti-circumvention duties and 11.5 percent in anti-subsidy duties.
Duties are to be applied retroactively, the commission said.
The Brussels-based commission in May last year launched an investigation into Taiwanese and Malaysian solar panel manufacturers after Chinese exporters were accused of evading levies by shipping solar panels to the EU through the two countries.
EU ProSun, a SolarWorld-led trade group, estimated that the circumvention had cost the bloc 500 million euros (US$559 million) in lost customs revenue.
Since the launch of the investigation, the government has stepped up efforts to help domestic solar producers conform to European regulatory guidelines, the ministry’s Bureau of Foreign Trade said in a statement on Saturday.
Companies included in the exemption list could lose their exemption status if they are found guilty of misconduct, the bureau said.
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