Solarworld AG, Germany's biggest solar-panel maker, plans to file an anti-dumping case against Chinese competitors as part of a group of European manufacturers.

“We want to submit an anti-subsidy and anti-dumping case in Europe as soon as possible,” Milan Nitzschke, a spokesman for Solarworld, said today. “The trade case will be filed by a broad coalition including several European manufacturing companies.”

The U.S. Commerce Department in May imposed preliminary anti-dumping duties of 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar manufacturers after ruling they sold products below cost. The decision followed a petition led by Solarworld’s U.S. unit.

The company wants fair competition, Nitzschke said by phone. “Just as Robert Bosch’s chairman said recently, it is obvious that there is dumping from Chinese companies,” he said. “Everyone in the industry knows it.” Solarworld said in May it would file a case in Europe by the middle of the year.

Robert Bosch GmbH Chairman Franz Fehrenbach has urged politicians to introduce an import tariff on PV products to prevent “clear dumping” from Chinese manufacturers, a company spokeswoman said yesterday.

Solarworld will want to show an overwhelming majority of producers support the measure so that the European Commission finds reasons to hear the case, Jefferies Group Inc. analysts said in a note to investors. The case would start 45 days after a complaint is filed, they said.

“Although the duties might be smaller and the likelihood of anti-dumping duties is somewhat lower than in the U.S., the size of the European PV market would make it hard for Chinese cell suppliers to circumvent any duties,” Jefferies said.

Copyright 2012 Bloomberg

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