AreaEuropean Union

Commodity GroupBiofuels

CommodityBiodiesel

Date01/05/2018

Policy CategoryTrade

Policy InstrumentImport policy - trade dispute

DescriptionRemoved anti-dumping duties on biodiesel imports from 13 Argentine and Indonesian producers, abiding by a ruling of the European Court of Justice.

NotesAbiding by a ruling of the European Court of Justice (see MPPU Nov.’16), the European Commission has removed anti-dumping duties on biodiesel imports from 13 Argentine and Indonesian producers that were in place since 2013. The Commission had appealed against the ruling, but dropped the petition earlier this year. Also the WTO had ruled in favour of challenges filed by Argentina and Indonesia (see MPPU Nov.’16 & Mar.’18). Notwithstanding, last January, the Commission launched – upon request of the bloc’s biodiesel producers – a new investigation on whether Argentine producers benefit from state subsidies (see MPPU Mar.’18). Industry experts pointed out that the recent resumption of low-cost biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia would impact profitability for European producers – possibly leading to production cuts and hence reduced uptake of rapeseed oil, the EU’s main biodiesel feedstock.