Trade barriers are not the solution to the challenges currently faced by the European solar industry, SolarPower Europe said in a statement on Monday issued in response to reports that governments are considering such measures for solar products imported into the single market.
The organisation referred to a report by Reuters saying that Germany is studying options, including subsidies and trade laws protection, to safeguard its solar manufacturers from the drop in module prices.
SolarPower Europe explained that overcapacity on the supply side and overordering on the demand side has led to sharp drops in the price of solar modules.
It urged EU leaders to focus swiftly on constructive solutions, rather than risking slowing down the solar-led energy transition.
The solutions the industry group is calling for include: adjusting the EU State Aid framework to allow member states to support running costs of factories; allowing for specific resilience auctions within member states under a swiftly-adopted EU Net-Zero Industry Act; and setting up an EU-level financing instrument dedicated to European produced solar photovoltaics (PV), like a Solar Manufacturing Bank.
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