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Europe must accept higher short-term costs to reduce its dependence on China for clean-energy technologies, EU Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has told Euronews, warning that delaying action will make the strategic vulnerability harder and more expensive to unwind.
The EU should have confronted its reliance on China “five to ten years ago”, Hoekstra said, arguing that waiting longer would bring greater disruption and costs.
“But it will be much cheaper and much more to our advantage to do it now than be wishy washy and wait another five to 10 years,” the Dutch Commissioner said.
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“This will stay with us for years to come, because the dependencies in many domains have simply become too large,” he said, describing the situation as a “dangerous and uncomfortable” vulnerability for both Europe’s climate ambitions and economic security.
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Tensions [between the EU and China] have intensified as Brussels has taken measures to protect the European market, targeting Chinese companies over issues including illegal products, state subsidies and foreign investment. Beijing has threatened retaliation.
Hoekstra pointed to Europe’s solar industry as a warning of what can happen when domestic production loses out to heavily subsidised Chinese imports.
But the Commissioner went further, raising concerns about alleged Chinese interference and security risks involving critical infrastructure in Europe.
“Kill switches are being included in windmills. Espionage happens at a very high degree on European soil. Intellectual property theft in our most advanced companies happens on a weekly basis and on and on and on — that is something no government and the EU can simply allow,” he said.
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The goal is … to ensure that Europe is no longer vulnerable to a single external supplier for technologies critical to its energy transition.
The challenge, Hoekstra said, is to build European capacity now — even if doing so comes with higher costs in the short term.
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We need to solve carbon emissions 20 years ago.
Why not heavily subsidize European solar, especially inverters while at the same time importing from China, especially solar cells and grid storage?
Why is every one of these proposals “let’s fuck over the whole planet in order to prop up businesses that have lobbied us?” And never “let’s have the best of both worlds”?
If they are worried about security, how about heavy subsidies for EU chipmakers to make and sell their chips in the EU. Currently, most of the fab capacity is in east Asia for chips needed for solar (ST, NXP, Nordic, and infineon). Many of them have a ton of fab capacity in the EU still, luckily, but all of their distribution goes through America and China. Even their own stores on their websites are not sold in the EU.
Except NXP, the dutch chip giant, which has the vast majority of their capacity in east Asia AND all of their chips are distributed through Asia and america(so the Dutch being hypocritical yet again).
Of how about, actually building and using unified, open source software platforms that connect locally to inverters and distribution components instead of relying on the cheapest ready-made manufacturer software? Oh wait, they don’t want to do that. That would require actual work and funding and not just grandstanding and writing a tariff on a piece of paper and letting the “poors” get fucked by it.
I would bet ant amount of money that he has been
bribedlobbied to speak on this by fossil fuel energy companies and auto companies. This is literally just a ploy to slow down renewable building and justify keeping energy prices sky high.How about requiring fucking parasite datacenters to actually offset their massive energy and building costs that we have to subsidize with energy infrastructure projects?
It is never that, it is just grandstanding bullshit that harms everyone except the lobbyists, what a coincidence.
This has nothing to do with lobbyists but with European independence.
Europe must accept higher short-term costs to reduce its dependence on China
Except it doesn’t. It should but a lot of people will vote against it. You can see it even in the comments here. People don’t trust politicians and would rather choose the invisible risk of close ties with China than suffer higher costs. They will vote for populists and when shit hits the fan in 10 years they will pretend no one told them about the danger.
people will vote against it. You can see it even in the comments here.
I strongly disagree. There are several polls from across Europe published of late that show people would support and prefer a more independent Europe, including a firmer stance against China and other dictatorships.
And I definitely wouldn’t give too much weight to users’ sentiment here on Lemmy, particularly if the topic ist China. There are too many tankies around …
I strongly disagree. There are several polls from across Europe published of late that show people would support and prefer a more independent Europe, including a firmer stance against China and other dictatorships.
If you look closer people support policies that don’t impact them directly. Once you propose things that require some sacrifice from them the support drops.
https://phys.org/news/2025-09-climate-policies-eu-citizens-dont.html
My bet is the exact same thing will happen here. People will support the idea as long as they will think someone else will have to sacrifice to implement it. Once you tell them that actually they that will have to pay more the support will drop. And with populists already gaining traction in many countries you don’t need a big swing here to put them in charge.
This fear mongoring BS about kill switches and especially the Dutch keep adding to anti China propaganda because of how deep they are in Trump’s anus - ASML and the Nexperia disaster anyone - is disturbing.
This is from the country where you can’t get any new green devices such as heatpumps installed for a number of years because no one invested in the power infrastructure.
The same country that introduced kilometer tax for combustion trucks which make up 98% of trucks, to encourage to move to electric ones. However to install a new charger at the trucking company itself, will take 7 years!
The Netherlands should shut the fuck up about China and see what that country has achieved in regards to green energy and power infrastructure compared to just bitching and moaning.
He’s just pushing agenda that have nothing to do with security or sovereignty. Clean energy gives people freedom and independence, especially energy storage and that’s why they’re trying to prevent this by artificially increasing prices. So called kill switches can be removed or just ignored because those are just software solutions that can only work by exposing windmill turbine to the public internet. This is also how you prevent windmill from being destroyed with higher wind speed. This guy don’t know the basics of how renewable technology works or is just manipulating facts to push control.
https://www.alternative-energies.net/why-do-wind-turbines-stop-in-high-winds/
Weird for EU climate chief to talk like CIA fossil fuel import agent. No kill switches have been found.
China Holds a Kill Switch to European Power Grids
… A critical portion of Europe’s solar systems is connected to remote management platforms developed by Chinese companies, hosted on Chinese servers, and bound by Chinese law. At the center of this control lies the solar inverter – the device that acts as the digital brain of a solar system. It converts electricity generated by solar panels into usable power, while also connecting the system to external platforms for monitoring, remote management, software updates, and control …
Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar power inverters
- Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar inverters
- Undocumented cellular radios also found in Chinese batteries
- U.S. says continually assesses risk with emerging technology
- U.S. working to integrate ‘trusted equipment’ into the grid
These are just a few examples.
Hell yea. EU independence and strength is a lynchpin in the scenario where democracy keeps going for awhile
How is working with China more dangerous than working with the USA?
There are certainly some strategic parts where this is correct, but for the most part it will not be possible to catch up to the Chinese over-capacity of some of the well established technologies like silicon waver based solar-panels and we should rather be happy that the Chinese are willing to subsidize our energy transition (despite us botching it earlier).
We should rather invest into new technologies that are promising and make sure the Chinese are not overtaking us in those technologies as well.
It is not needed to catch up, but to have the skills to actually make for example solar panels, if the Chinese are unwilling to deliver. Most of that last for decades. If you have the skills and only need to increase production, that is not that much of a dependence. If you need to develop all of that from scratch, then it really is one.
There are multiple promising new technologies to make solar panels. The EU should rather invest in those and benefit from cheap Chinese solar panels using the old technology in the mean time.
We should rather invest into new technologies that are promising and make sure the Chinese are not overtaking us in those technologies as well.
China is a billion people, the EU is half of that. Whatever we choose, China can spend the same amount of brainpower.
There are two ways to prevent them from overtaking us. Either we isolate them or we crush them.
There are plenty of technological areas where the EU is more advanced than China, this isn’t a simple numbers game like you think 🤷
Why not? Like chip manufacturing, China can dedicate resources until they are competible. All high profit industries will see competitors.
The EU can also dedicate resources to stay ahead. It isn’t only a question of the mystical man-hour. And competition is no problem when you start from a somewhat equal base. But it makes no sense to try to catch up in an area where the technology is solved and the competition has massive over-capacity.
Or ally with them
How? I think that’s the best option but I doubt that the western elite would go along.
Wish I knew :(
Somebody voted you down. The aversion is prepared for a war.
building solar panel factories in europe would take 20 years. we don’t have that much time.
i can agree with import bans on windmills though, we already can produce these well enough.
building solar panel factories in europe would take 20 years. we don’t have that much time.
What are you talking about? The German company QCells became global markets leader in a few years in the 2000s (overtaking even such large companies like then market leader Sharp). Conergy, another German startup founded in 2000, became the world’s largest solar downstream company within a few years.
And these are just two examples.
It’s not like we had world-class solar panel factories in europe like 15 years ago, right? /s
i actually looked that up a while ago, the factories in germany were very competent, the panels they produced cost only 30% more than those from china. that’s astonishingly good considering that lots of other products had more price difference than that.
This is not the first time Europeans are told to suffer higher costs of living for the sake of some ideals. And still, here we are, with those ideals nowhere near realized, costs of living growing to insane levels, and our basic rights at risk more than ever before.
What is this really about? If anybody in the EU seriously cared about principles, the EU would have never purchased Russian gas. And yet it still does, despite its own sanctions, through middlemen. Just like it still does a lot of business with the US, indirectly fueling several genocides at any given moment.
The EU should have confronted its reliance on China “five to ten years ago”
The EU should have never closed its factories and outsourced everything to cheap, third world countries. Alas, it was profitable, and in capitalism only profit matters. If only there was anything we could do about this…
Additionally, the EU should have confronted its reliance on the US as soon as the treaty of Maastricht was signed. And yet, nothing. Only more ‘agreements’ that greatly favour American interests, and put the entire EU at further risk.
Tensions [between the EU and China] have intensified as Brussels has taken measures to protect the European market, targeting Chinese companies over issues including illegal products, state subsidies and foreign investment.
I don’t usually hate on the EU this much, but this is just Western imperialism. When the country is weak and the labour is cheap - all good, no problems. When it suddenly grows stronger - problem. It’s like we just can’t stop taking advantage of poorer countries, and then crying when they miraculously manage to win against all odds. Come on guys, colonialism supposedly ended over 100 years ago.
Also, if the entire EU stops buying Chinese solar panels… who exactly is it gonna buy them from? China produces 90% of the world’s solar panels. Either we buy Chinese or we miss the climate goals by even more, because nobody else produces these devices. Unless they started growing on trees and I missed it.
I’m sorry, but this just looks like the EU once again doing the US Empire’s bidding.
This is not the first time Europeans are told to suffer higher costs of living for the sake of some ideals.
First of all, it’s not about “some ideals” but about long term security and independence. Or are those optional in your opinion?
Second, when was the first time Europeans were told that? I can think of two cases: climate change and war in Ukraine. First let EU made huge progress on decarbonization and energy transition and second was only 4 years ago and let EU cut ties with Russia. Yes, EU should have done more and earlier but it’s hardly some long running scheme to tell people that they have to suffer higher costs in exchange for nothing.
First of all, it’s not about “some ideals” but about long term security and independence. Or are those optional in your opinion?
They are nothing but pointless slogans and fantasies. As I said, if anybody in the EU executive bodies actually cared about long-term security or independence, we wouldn’t still be doing business with the US, Israel, Russia, India, or several smaller countries that simply act as middlemen between the EU and Russia.
It is absolutely true we should all be worried about that, and taking steps to ensure adequate plans and structures are in place. However, that’s not what this is.
This is the US telling the EU to do less business with China, and the EU blindly following orders. It will not lead to better security or independence. The only things it will lead to are higher cost of living in the EU, and more money in American oligarchs’ pockets.
second was only 4 years ago and let EU cut ties with Russia.
What? You do realize the EU is currently importing approximately the same amount of gas from Russia as it was before the war, right? Except now we do it through middlemen like India, who charge an additional fee.
In the end, the EU still happily buys gas from Russia. Just for a higher price than before. Which means we’re paying more for absolutely no reason. Because the EU, as clearly demonstrated in this and other examples, does not care about principles or its long-term security. If it did, it wouldn’t be signing extremely predatory, one-sided trade agreements with the US.
Of course, it’s not that the EU is evil and wants Europeans to suffer. The main issue is that the European Comission, Council, as well as Parliament, are all filled to the brim with foreign assets. Judging by who benefits the most from it - most likely American assets.
It sounds like you think you can redirect entire continent in a matter of weeks. Yes, EU still depends on gas. A lot of it is used in industries that don’t have viable alternatives yet. This doesn’t change the fact that many countries are investing heavily in renewables and trying to limit this dependence. Obviously it can’t be done in a year or two but you’re completely ignoring all the progress that was made because it doesn’t fit your narrative.
Also, EU is working hard to stop importing weapons from US. This varies by country but for example Spain canceled their F-35 orders, other countries are also choosing European manufacturers now. This also doesn’t fit you’re narrative of “EU blindly following orders”.
I can see we’re not going to agree here. We clearly look at the same data and read it in different ways. I think your missing all the nuance. You think EU could magically cut all ties with Russia and US without terrible economical impact and they don’t do it only because they are corrupt while in reality EU is doing a lot of progress but has to work against internal divisions and people like you, doing everything they can to undermine it.
It sounds like you think you can redirect entire continent in a matter of weeks.
No. I expect it to be done within years. In the last 20 years there has been next to 0 progress on cutting ties with the US or Israel. Only minimal effort in the last 18 months.
This doesn’t change the fact that many countries are investing heavily in renewables
They are, and it’s great. The problem is, this entire post is about EU’s commisioner for climate action who calls to stop buying renewable infrastructure from China. Which accounts for 90% of all produced globally. So he’s basically saying we should abandon renewables, for the sake of some delusional moral high ground over China. Which the EU is in no place to even claim.
This is nowhere close to being in the EU’s best interest. The only beneficiary here would be the US, as usual.
Also, EU is working hard to stop importing weapons from US. This varies by country but for example Spain canceled their F-35 orders, other countries are also choosing European manufacturers now. This also doesn’t fit you’re narrative of “EU blindly following orders”.
One country canceled one order. Meanwhile Finland and Poland finalized their own purchases of F-35s, with Poland also ordering a lot of other equipment. Last year Germany finalized a 2 billion euro deal with an Israeli missiles producer. Similar deals in Italy, though on a smaller scale.
I could go on for several A4 pages. All it takes is one quick search.
people like you, doing everything they can to undermine it
The only people undermining the EU are American spies, agents, and other assets, who completely fill the rooms on all EU meetings, and who make anti-EU decisions every chance they get.
I’m sorry, but this just looks like the EU once again doing the US Empire’s bidding.
I agree, but
Come on guys, colonialism supposedly ended over 100 years ago.
Colonialism ended after WW2, with the help of the US who didn’t want other empires next to itself.
Slavery ended earlier.
Colonialism did not end after WW2. Especially the Soviet Union had a very large colonial empire. Partly inheriting the old Russian one, but the satellite states in the Warsaw Pact were basically protectorates. There are other examples like Indonesia in Papua or the weird quasi settler colonialism of Israel. Plenty of countries are currently trying to be more colonial masters. The US actions under Trump are fairly openly colonialist. Turkey is moving into northern Syria, Libya and Somalia for more influence in those parts of the world.
Oh and slavery is also still around. Not in the form of chattel slavery, although that is happening in Libya and Mauretania illegally as well, but in other form.
Portugal also retained their colonies in southern Africa well into the 1970ties.
True. I got carried away with the 100 years.
Though it looks like the dates matter little, since both are unfortunately still very much around.
Same as with the weakening actions against climate warming, yes?
China is a bully.
