- Syrians protest after video of attack on Alawite shrine
- Russian state owner says cargo ship blast was 'terrorist attack'
- 38 dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Crisis-hit Valencia hire West Brom's Corberan as new boss
- Suriname ex-dictator and fugitive Desi Bouterse dead at 79
- 35 feared dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' in Christmas appeal
- Syria authorities say torched 1 million captagon pills
- Pope calls for 'arms to be silenced' across world
- 32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
- Pakistan air strikes kill 46 in Afghanistan, Kabul says
- Liverpool host Foxes, Arsenal prepare for life without Saka
- Japan FM raises 'serious concerns' over China military buildup
- Pope's sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war
- Zelensky condemns Russian 'inhumane' Christmas attack on energy grid
- Sweeping Vietnam internet law comes into force
- Pope kicks off Christmas under shadow of war
- Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold
- Japan's top diplomat in China to address 'challenges'
- Thousands attend Christmas charity dinner in Buenos Aires
- Demand for Japanese content booms post 'Shogun'
- As India's Bollywood shifts, stars and snappers click
- Mystery drones won't interfere with Santa's work: US tracker
- Djokovic eyes more Slam glory as Swiatek returns under doping cloud
- Australia's in-form Head confirmed fit for Boxing Day Test
- Brazilian midfielder Oscar returns to Sao Paulo
- 'Wemby' and 'Ant-Man' to make NBA Christmas debuts
- US agency focused on foreign disinformation shuts down
- On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis launches holy Jubilee year
- 'Like a dream': AFP photographer's return to Syria
- Chiefs seek top seed in holiday test for playoff-bound NFL teams
- Panamanians protest 'public enemy' Trump's canal threat
- Cyclone death toll in Mayotte rises to 39
- Ecuador vice president says Noboa seeking her 'banishment'
- Leicester boss Van Nistelrooy aware of 'bigger picture' as Liverpool await
- Syria authorities say armed groups have agreed to disband
- Maresca expects Man City to be in title hunt as he downplays Chelsea's chancs
- Man Utd boss Amorim vows to stay on course despite Rashford row
- South Africa opt for all-pace attack against Pakistan
- Guardiola adamant Man City slump not all about Haaland
- Global stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas trade
- Bethlehem marks sombre Christmas under shadow of war
- NASA probe makes closest ever pass by the Sun
- 11 killed in blast at Turkey explosives plant
- Indonesia considers parole for ex-terror chiefs: official
- Global stocks mostly rise in thin pre-Christmas trade
- Postecoglou says Spurs 'need to reinforce' in transfer window
- Le Pen says days of new French govt numbered
- Global stocks mostly rise after US tech rally
- Villa boss Emery set for 'very difficult' clash with Newcastle
Chinese firms exit Romania solar tender after EU probe
Two Chinese-owned solar panel manufacturers have withdrawn from a public procurement tender in Romania after the EU launched an anti-subsidy probe, Brussels said Monday.
The EU wants to defend European industry against growing threats from China and the United States, and has launched multiple probes into Chinese firms over state subsidies.
But Brussels must balance its desire to build up Europe's renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously moving away from excessive reliance on cheaper Chinese wind and solar technology.
The European Commission in April started an investigation into two consortiums suspected of receiving subsidies that Brussels feared undercut firms in Europe.
"As a result of the withdrawal, the Commission will close its in-depth investigation," it said.
The investigation had been launched under new rules that came into force last year and seek to prevent foreign subsidies from undermining fair competition in the EU.
"We are massively investing in the installation of solar panels to decrease our carbon emissions and energy bills –- but this should not come at the expense of our energy security, our industrial competitiveness and European jobs," the EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said.
The new rules ensure "foreign companies which participate in the European economy do so by abiding to our rules on fair competition and transparency", he added.
- Rising trade tensions -
The probe focused on two consortiums, one of which includes the Enevo group in Romania and a German subsidiary of Chinese parent company Longi Green Energy Technology.
Longi is the world's biggest solar panel manufacturer.
The second consortium was made up of two subsidiaries both fully owned and controlled by Chinese state-owned firm, Shanghai Electric group.
They had applied to design, construct and operate a photovoltaic park in Romania, partly financed by EU funds.
The estimated value of the contract was around 375 million euros ($405 million).
Europe relies heavily on foreign solar panels. More than 97 percent of the panels in Europe are imported, mainly from China, according to Brussels.
Other EU probes focused on Chinese subsidies for electric cars and trains, and wind turbines as trade tensions escalate between the two sides.
A fight over solar panels is nothing new for the EU.
In 2013, the EU imposed anti-dumping duties after European manufacturers said Chinese panel imports were undercutting their firms, but they were scrapped five years later.
B.Finley--AMWN