Brussels, 01/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - The request of the European Commission that member states start registering imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia is the first stage in a process that may lead to anti-dumping duties being levied by the EU.
As part of an anti-dumping procedure launched in 2012 against imports into the EU of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia, both suspected of using export taxes on raw materials to encourage companies to make the biofuel, the European Commission published a draft regulation on 29 January requiring all imports of biodiesel from the two countries to be logged, which means, in practice, that biodiesel importers will have to notify their local customs authority of any purchases from either country so that if the anti-dumping measures are introduced, the anti-dumping duty can be levied retroactively.
In parallel, the Commission opened a subsidy investigation in November into the two countries, which may lead to EU import duties being levied.
Figures from the European Biodiesel Bureau (EBB) show that Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel exports to the EU have shot up in recent years, accounting for 90% of all EU biodiesel imports in 2011, a trend that the EBB says continued apace in 2012. (EH/transl.fl)