After disagreements in the traffic light coalition on the question of EU tariffs against electric cars from China, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is now making the decision. Green government circles say that the SPD politician has decided that the federal government will vote against the tariffs in a vote in Brussels on Friday. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck from the Greens accepted this. In view of the differences between the coalition partners, Scholz claims the last word for himself. It is said in Berlin that Scholz is using his policymaking authority in this way. Two years ago, Scholz pushed through the short-term continued operation of German nuclear power plants for a few months. A government spokesman did not want to comment on voting behavior on Thursday evening.
It’s about European punitive tariffs on Chinese electric cars. In the traffic light coalition, the FDP-led ministries of finance and transport pushed for a German no vote in Brussels. Scholz was also critical of possible punitive tariffs. The Green ministries apparently accept the decision that has now been made for a German no, it was said on Thursday evening. The news agencies dpa and Reuters report this unanimously.
A question of political tactics
The Federal Ministry of Economics says that they want fair competition, but not a trade war with tariffs. But Europe should not be naive towards China either. “That’s why we would have thought a different path than ‘no’ would be better.” But this is not a question of faith, but a question of political tactics. The goal must be a negotiated solution that protects one’s own interests. The German auto industry had campaigned for rejection and warned of a global trade conflict.
The EU Commission accuses China of heavily subsidizing the entire value chain for electric cars and thus distorting the market. The authority therefore wants to introduce additional tariffs, which in some cases are expected to be more than 35 percent. However, the 27 EU states have a say in the decision. A sufficient majority of countries can prevent the measure, but this has not recently become apparent. According to the EU Commission, Chinese electric cars are typically around 20 percent cheaper than models made in the EU.
A German no vote in Brussels would not mean the end of the planned tariffs. Even if a majority of EU member states opposed it, the EU Commission could convene an appeals committee to discuss the issue a second time.