Targeting the Environment: Exploring a New Trend in the EU's Trade Defence Investigations

Abstract

The report argues that the European Union’s Trade Defence Instruments (TDI) increasingly target renewable energy sources, such as biodiesel, bioethanol and solar panels. In addition, the TDI measures on renewable energy sources affect an import value of about EUR 14 billion, which is almost 75 per cent of the import value all of the TDI measures currently in force. As a consequence of the new trend for the EU’s TDI policy to target renewable energy sources, there is an apparent contradiction between the EU’s TDI policy and the EU’s climate policy. The EU’s climate policy recognizes the need to empower the consumers and to increase competition in the EU’s renewable energy market, in order to raise the share of renewable energy sources to 20 per cent by 2020. The EU’s trade policy, through its TDI policy, is, however, moving in the opposite direction. Increasing the price of imported renewable energy sources and increasing the level of unpredictability for importers, user industries and consumers will, most likely, affect the availability of affordable renewable energy in the EU market to the detriment of the consumers and the environment.