Interview: High tariffs on Chinese EVs harmful to future of European economy: Croatian analyst

ZAGREB, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission's plans to impose high tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) will be harmful to the European EV industry and the bloc's economy overall in the long-term, said a Croatian political analyst in an interview with Xinhua on Friday.

"Introducing tariffs and restricting free trade is never good. The introduction of tariffs on Chinese EVs was not received with approval in many European countries," said Mladen Plese, former editor-in-chief of Croatia's mainstream daily newspaper Jutarnji List.

Plese also emphasized remarks made by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier this week during a visit to China, calling on the European Union (EU) to reconsider its plan to impose the tariffs.

"I have to be blunt and frank with you that we need to reconsider all of us, not only member states but also the (European) Commission, our position towards this," Sanchez said at an event at the Mondragon Industrial Park in Kunshan, near Shanghai.

In August, the European Commission published a draft plan to make the tariffs definitive, at slightly revised rates, subject to approval by EU member states. This came after it announced extra provisional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese EV makers in July.

Plese said Europe should be ready for healthy competition with China, and must not follow the United States' lead when it comes to tariffs on EVs. European consumers will always seek to buy EVs that are better and cheaper, Plese underlined, adding that cooperation is in the interests of both Chinese and European manufacturers.

"It is in the interests of everyone in Europe to cooperate with China," he said, suggesting that the European Commission "should not make decisions only on the basis of political arguments, but also respect the opinions of the professionals."