FILE PHOTO: Solar electric panels are shown installed on the roof of the Hanover Olympic building, the first building to offer individual solar-powered net-zero apartments in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - The European Union has sent the United States a demand for talks on compensation for steep U.S. tariffs imposed on imported solar panels, a World Trade Organization filing showed on Wednesday.

The EU request said Germany was a major exporter and cited WTO rules under which it could demand compensation. The EU move follows similar steps by China, Taiwan and South Korea, but unlike them it did not accuse the United States of breaking WTO rules.