A senior EU official said February 5 that the European Union should think more about its solar power deployment targets before the bloc implements any technology import curbs on photovoltaic panels, wafers and other components.

According to U.S. News & World Report, European commissioner Mairead McGuinness told the European Parliament that the bloc is working on several measures to support the EU's solar manufacturing industry because 97% of the panels currently deployed in Europe are imported.

The European Commission set a target of 750 gigawatts of solar generation capacity by 2030, up from 260 gigawatts in 2023.

"Given that we currently rely to a very important degree on imports to reach EU solar deployment targets, any potential measure needs to be weighed against the objectives we have set ourselves when it comes to the energy transition," McGuinness said.

The EU’s solar power sector has urged the bloc to enact emergency efforts that would prevent local firms from shutting down due to price pressures brought on by Chinese imports. If these actions cannot be deployed fast enough, the solar power industry asked the Commission to consider implementing “safeguard” measures, which could potentially include import tariffs and limitations.

McGuinness said that the EU could soon pass rules that would make public authorities consider other factors besides price when holding tenders for clean technology equipment, including a measure that ensures no more than 65% of solar power manufacturing supplies come from a single source.

McGuinness added that the European Commission has approved nine clean technology initiatives to date with a budget of more than $12.8 billion.