The EU launches an in-depth investigation into China's CRRC for the Lisbon tram vehicle tender
The European Commission stated that it has launched an investigation into possible market distortion by China's state-owned enterprise China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) in the tender for the new light rail project in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. According to preliminary investigations, the European Commission said it found that the Portuguese subsidiary of this Chinese railway vehicle manufacturer may have benefited from "foreign subsidies" during its participation in the tender for the newly built "Purple Line" in April this year - a ground-level line connecting the Lisbon metro.
According to data from Lisbon Metro (Metropolitano de Lisboa), the tender received four bids ranging from 599 million euros to 716 million euros, but the winner has not yet been determined. Lisbon Metro did not list any Chinese companies participating in the tender. The wholly-owned company of CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock in Portugal (Portugal CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal) has not responded to Reuters' request for comment.
In a statement, the European Commission said, "After a preliminary assessment, and without prejudice to the final outcome, the European Commission believes there are sufficient indications that the Portuguese CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal may have benefited from foreign subsidies that distort the domestic market, and therefore an in-depth investigation is necessary. The investigation will assess whether such subsidies gave the company an unfair advantage in the tender. Based on the findings of the investigation, the European Commission may accept remedies, prohibit the awarding of the contract, or make a non-objection decision after the in-depth investigation."
The statement continued, "This investigation stems from a notification submitted by a consortium led by the Portuguese engineering company Mota Engil, which includes subcontractors such as the Portuguese CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal. This consortium participated in the tender for the design, construction, and maintenance of the new 'Purple Line' in Lisbon Metro, which will be launched in April 2025 ..."
Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy at the European Commission, said: "Today, we are launching an investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation to assess whether foreign subsidies enabled the Chinese state-owned railway vehicle manufacturer CRRC to submit an unfair advantage bid in the tender for the Portuguese tram vehicles."
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847992792677388/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.