Alongside the informal meeting of European energy ministers on Monday 15 April, the European Commission presented the ‘European Solar Charter’, which has been signed by 23 Member States and industry companies.
Faced with a predominance of solar panel imports from China, the EU is trying to reduce its dependence and promote the resilience of its value chain.
While several initiatives have been taken within the EU to try and help the sector, such as the European Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance, launched in December 2022, the Charter makes it clear that “further urgent action is needed in the short term to address the crisis in the European manufacturing industry”.
Although the document, as it stands, contains no trade defence measures, due to a lack of consensus, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU considers it to be a “strong” text.
In it, the Member States and industry representatives undertake to promote the “resilience of Europe’s supply of high-quality, sustainable solar photovoltaic products”, in particular through renewable energy auctions or public procurement of solar energy as defined in the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), but also the promotion of innovative forms of solar energy deployment.
The European Commission intends to support the Member States in this area, to facilitate access to European funds, specifically for the financing of photovoltaic solar panel manufacturing projects, to work with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and to explore the possibility of an ‘Important Project of Common European Interest’ (IPCEI) to support innovations in this field.
“There is €400 million in grants from the Innovation Fund and counting. Add to that the over €500 million financing decision from the EIB. And let there be no doubt: EU funds will continue to be available for bridging the funding gap for solar manufacturing projects in the EU”, reassured the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, in a speech to stakeholders.
Finally, all the signatories undertake to monitor future developments in the sector and to contribute to a fair and competitive international environment in the solar sector.
In a year’s time, the Commission will review the implementation of the commitments adopted.
To see the Charter: https://aeur.eu/f/brr (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)