CDU environmental expert calls for federal commitment to solar industry

The CDU environmental expert in Saxony's state parliament, Robert Clemen, has urged the German government to take action on behalf of the German solar industry. "The time of vague promises is over, now action must be taken quickly," he said, according to a statement on Sunday. The German government must finally make a determined appearance in Brussels, he added. The EU is called upon to "immediately take all necessary steps to secure the Central German solar industry."

Clemen pointed out that the European market is literally flooded with solar modules from China, which are clearly below manufacturing costs. This unfair dumping method must be stopped immediately, he demanded.

The solar industry plays a significant role in the climate-friendly transformation of energy production, "for this we need efficient domestic production," he said. There should not be any renewed unilateral dependencies, he added. Clemens also pointed out that the local solar industry was in the process of "getting back on its feet," warning that this positive process "must not be torpedoed by the German government doing nothing."

Last Friday, at a meeting hosted by Saxony in Berlin, several German states had called for more support for domestic manufacturers in light of a glut of solar modules from China.