EU Officially Delays New Tariffs on UK EVs

The European Council on Dec. 21 agreed to give European and British electric vehicle makers until Dec. 31, 2026, to comply with the local content requirements for EVs and batteries under the EU-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the council said. The more stringent rules of origin, along with up to a 10% tariff on goods that failed to meet the requirements, were set to take effect Jan. 1. The bloc proposed the extension earlier this month, saying the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and foreign subsidies led to a slower scaling-up of the EU battery industry than it had expected (see 2312080074).