EU probes subsidies to Chinese solar panel makers

The European Commission announced on Thursday that it had opened a probe into subsidies given to Chinese solar panel makers following a request by European manufacturers. "The European Commission today launched an anti-subsidy... investigation into imports of solar panels and their key components... originating in China" following a complaint lodged by EU ProSun that claimed solar panels and their components imported from China benefited from unfair government subsidies, it said in a statement. It is the second such probe in two months. In September, the EU began an investigation into allegations that Chinese companies were selling panels in the European market at up to 80 percent below actual cost.