Dutch government may have to pay back €12 million to the European Commission 

The Netherlands may have to pay 12 million euros in subsidies back to the European Commission. It is regarding money for mobile scanners that Customs uses to check containers at seaports.

An investigation is needed to determine the safety of these scanners, which means they could first be put into use after the Brussels deadline. "This leads to the risk that the subsidy granted will have to be paid back," said the Aukje de Vries, the Cabinet member handling the issue.

There have been long-standing worries about Chinese influence on the scanners made by the Chinese company Nuctech. A month ago, the European Commission ordered a raid on Nuctech's Dutch headquarters. The company was suspected of receiving subsidies from the Chinese government.

De Vries did not discuss China's role specifically in a letter to the lower house of the Dutch parliament, the Tweede Kamer, but did say that customs are "not naive" regarding scanning equipment.

The investigation into this will lead to a later decision, meaning that the equipment may not be used by June of next year, as the Commission had demanded.

A spokesperson said that Customs wants to try to keep the subsidy either way.