The EU Fee has used new powers to raid a Chinese language surveillance firm below the Overseas Subsidies Regulation – in a transfer that can additional complicate ties with Beijing.
Nuctech’s places of work in The Netherlands and Poland had been raided on Tuesday (23 April) within the ex-officio investigation by the European Fee concerning international subsidies, an organization consultant has advised Euronews.
The inspection was the primary to be carried out below the Overseas Subsidies Regulation, which utilized since July 2023 and goals to make sure a degree taking part in subject for all corporations working within the single market.
The corporate, a Chinese language producer of safety tools primarily utilized in airports and seaports, mentioned it’s planning to cooperate with the EU on the investigation.
The Fee carried out the inspections in Nuctech’ places of work in Poland and The Netherlands along with its nationwide counterparts, following indications that the inspected firm could have acquired international subsidies that might distort the EU market.
“If the Fee had been to search out enough indications of the existence of distortive international subsidies, it’s going to open an in-depth investigation,” the Fee mentioned in a press release.
The Chinese language Chamber of Commerce within the EU (CCCEU) earlier acknowledged it had been knowledgeable of unannounced raids on the premises of a Chinese language firm within the Netherlands and Poland.
“The CCCEU expresses its critical concern over the EU’s unjustified ‘daybreak raids’ on the operations of Chinese language corporations within the EU,” the chamber mentioned in a press release issued on Tuesday night.
In line with the CCCEU , the enforcement businesses seized the corporate’s IT tools and staff’ cell phones, scrutinised workplace paperwork and demanded entry to related information.
Up to now, the Fee has opened a number of investigations into Chinese language corporations below the regulation, and simply in the present day the EU government launched a probe into China’s public procurement of medical gadgets.
As a response, the chamber is urging the European Fee to guard the rights and pursuits of international corporations within the EU, arguing that these actions ship a “unfavorable message” to all non-EU corporations doing enterprise within the bloc.