QN Motori (Quotidiano Nazionale) has published an in-depth analysis of trade relations between the European Union and China in the automotive sector, examining the implications of the agreement on hybrid vehicles and rare earths, with a focus on tariffs, supply chain security and new challenges for European industry.
Are tariffs the most effective tool to counter distortions of competition, or are there alternatives capable of ensuring greater reciprocity without triggering trade tensions?
Pietro Meda commented on the issue, highlighting that “tariffs are the most appropriate tool because they would help redress the tariff imbalance that currently favours Chinese exports to Europe while making trade in the opposite direction more difficult. [...] Adjusting tariffs does not mean closing off the market, but rather restoring a minimum level of reciprocity. This is not a protectionist shortcut without a legal basis: EU law expressly allows the imposition of countervailing duties to offset subsidies granted, directly or indirectly, for the manufacture, production, export or transport of a product whose importation into the Union causes injury.”
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