EU gives final green light to steep tariffs on Chinese electric cars

The extra tariffs on China-made electric cars will go ahead as planned, the European Commission has confirmed, despite ongoing talks with China.

The European Commission has given the final green light to steep tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China, officially closing the probe that began one year ago.

The tariffs will apply as of Wednesday and remain in place for the next five years.

In the meantime, Brussels will continue negotiations with Beijing in an attempt to secure a deal on minimum prices that can replace the tariffs. However, this solution, advocated by Germany, is highly complex and would be difficult to implement on the ground.

"By adopting these proportionate and targeted measures after a rigorous investigation, we're standing up for fair market practices and for the European industrial base," said Valdis Dombrovskis, the Commission's executive vice president in charge of trade.