3. The EU-China Solar Panel Dispute

This chapter examines the EU-China solar panel dispute, the largest trade defense investigation ever done by DG Trade. This chapter first provides background information about the European solar market, European Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht, and the Option case. This provides useful context to the EU solar panel case. It then assesses which of the BPM, neorealist, or institutionalist models best illuminates the dynamics of issue identification, decision-making, and policy implementation to evaluate existing arguments and cull out scope conditions. I find that, eventually, neorealism explains best what happened concerning decision-making. Institutionalism contributes to a better understanding of all three stages. The Commissioner had an essential role in the issue identification and decision-making stages. The chapter’s conclusion provides a more detailed summary of the case and the theoretical findings drawn from it.