Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 13 • Number 8 • 4th March 2009
EU Approves Duties on US Biodiesel Imports
Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say
Looking to support their struggling biodiesel producers, European governments voted Tuesday to impose temporary anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on imports of US biodiesel.
Twenty of the 27 EU governments that took part in the informal vote on Tuesday supported the anti-subsidy duties, while 17 governments voted in favour of the anti-dumping tariffs. Only Belgium, Denmark and Sweden voted against the anti-subsidy duties; other countries abstained from the votes.
“It went through with no problem,” a source close to the meeting told Reuters.
Starting 13 March, imports of US biodiesel will be slapped with tariffs ranging from 26 euros to 41 euros per 100 kilograms.
Once the duties have been in place for six months, the European Commission can propose that the tariffs be made permanent. Such a move would have to be approved by EU governments.
The approval of the import duties was welcomed by EU biodiesel producers, who claim that the support the US provides its biofuels industry has made their products much less competitive in the European market (see Bridges Weekly, 25 February 2009, http://ictsd.net/i/news/bridgesweekly/41654/).
“This will re-establish a level playing field and put an end to unacceptable and artificial prices created by US biodiesel producers,” said Raffaello Garofalo, secretary general of the European Biodiesel Board, Reuters reported.
“Whatever the action of the United States will be – even in front of the WTO – our complaint and our case is well grounded,” Garofalo said.
ICTSD reporting; “EU slaps duties on US biodiesel imports – sources,” REUTERS, 3 March 2009; “EU backs plan to impose tariffs on US biodiesel,” INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, 3 March 2009.
Add a comment
Enter your details and a comment below, then click Submit Comment. We’ll review and publish the best comments.