More than 400 European companies have written to the European Commission calling for an end to EU trade barriers on solar products from China.

The letter says that the minimum import price (MIP), anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on cells and modules from China have had “unforeseen consequences” and “should be removed immediately.”

Trade barriers on these products have been in place since 2012. The MIP in particular requires Chinese manufacturers to sell in the European market at a minimum agreed price, to maintain fair competition with European counterparts. But the industry now says that these barriers have negative repercussions on the sector. “The measures are having the unforeseen consequence of negatively impacting the entire European solar value chain to the detriment of jobs, investment and solar deployment in Europe,” says the document addressed to European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom.

“The measures add 100,000s euros of cost to installations in the region of 10MW and above and around 1,000 euros to household installations,” add companies. They also constrain the ability to reach the continent’s climate objectives. The document concludes: “The European Commission and Member States need to end the measures now to accelerate the date by which this industry can grow sustainably without the need for support mechanisms.”

Concerns are high in the industry especially given that Europe’s share of the global market is shrinking, despite the boom of solar worldwide. “The trade measures have been in place for a long time, they have brought only decline to the European solar sector,” said Sebastian Berry, Board Director of SolarPower Europe, which represents the industry in Brussels.

The letter has been signed by companies such as Solarcentury in the UK, EnerTec in Germany and Enel in Italy. Together, the 403 signatories cover all countries of the European Union and all segments of the value chain.

Duties on solar modules and cells from China are currently under review, an exercise that will be completed by March 2017. Some Chinese producers, however, are already withdrawing from the minimum import price. This has become obsolete as overall, selling prices have been declining.

The letter is available on the Website of SolarPower Europe