28/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - Evidence of illegal subsidies for Chinese solar panels. The European Commission has warned the Chinese government that it has proof of illegal subsidies to Chinese solar panel manufacturers, according to news agency Reuters on 27 August. It would appear that, after an anti-subsidy investigation launched at the end of September 2012 (see EUROPE 10726), the Commission determined that Beijing had granted cheap loans, zero rate credit lines and tax advantages. However, the Commission does not apparently plan to follow up these conclusions at the moment - barely a month after the agreement made between Brussels and Beijing at the end of July on a minimum price for imported Chinese solar panels (see EUROPE 10902), in order to calm a dispute resulting from the anti-dumping investigation launched at the beginning of September 2012 (see EUROPE 10683) which threatened to degenerate into a trade war. (EH/transl.fl)