Fico’s Stance on EU Tariffs: Why He’s Wrong on Chinese EVs

Slovakia voted against adopting EU tariffs on China-produced electric vehicles (EVs), revealing its flawed approach to dealing with Beijing. Prime Minister Robert Fico’s opposition to these tariffs reflects a misunderstanding of the broader dynamics at play.

EU member states voted on the European Commission’s proposal to impose countervailing duties on the imports of China-produced EVs. The vote came after a year-long investigation into Chinese government subsidies for the sector and fraught negotiations between the Commission and member states. Although only five member states opposed the tariffs, the Commission received the go-ahead to implement them, aiming to curb the market distortions caused by China’s unfair subsidisation of its EV producers.

Slovakia, whose Prime Minister Robert Fico is set to visit Beijing at the end of October, was one of the dissenting states. Following the vote, Fico voiced his displeasure with the EU moving ahead in his video-series ‘What didn’t fit into the press briefing,’ labelling the tariffs as part of a ‘nonsensical trade war pursued by the European Commission’ with ‘devastating effects for the European economy.’

He argued that while ‘European markets should be protected,’ competition in the EV sector should be based on ‘quality of production and not high tariffs.’