The European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, rejected yesterday, Thursday, in Brussels, to set a date for the issuance of a decision on the potential imposition of European tariffs on Chinese electric cars.

Dombrovskis said during a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the EU's trade policy: "The matter has not been resolved yet."

He added that investigations are proceeding on their path.

The European Commission had officially opened an investigation into Chinese electric cars exported to the EU that may benefit from government support, which hampers economic competition.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said when announcing the investigation that the prices of these cars are artificially lowered through significant government support, which leads to a distortion of our market.

The investigation could lead to the imposition of punitive tariffs on EU imports.

The German magazine Der Spiegel cited sources in the European Commission saying that a decision will not be announced until after the European elections that end on June 9.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing criticized the investigation, stating that trade protectionism is the reason behind the investigation.