The EU has moved forward with a plan to halt funding for PV projects built with inverters supplied by high-risk vendors.

The move was initially reported by German news outlet Der Spiegel, which said the measure takes effect immediately.

“We are already facing concrete risks that require immediate mitigation,” a European Commission spokesperson told pv magazine. “To this end, the Commission has developed guidance on restricting the use of EU funds for projects involving inverters from high-risk suppliers.”

The guidance requires all EU-funded projects to comply with the latest cybersecurity standards, with the aim of phasing out high-risk suppliers.

“For projects connected, or planned to be connected, to the EU grid (both within and outside the EU), a transitional period is provided for projects already in the pipeline, provided they are notified to the Commission by 1 May and submitted for decision before 1 November,” the spokesperson added. “All other projects should exclude high-risk suppliers.”

For projects outside the EU and not connected, or planned to be connected, to the EU grid, inverters from high-risk suppliers should be phased out by 15 April 2027.

“Targeted derogations are foreseen, such as in cases of delays of more than one year, or other overriding political or security considerations,” the spokesperson said, without providing further details.