Brussels, 11/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - Following Argentina in March of this year, Indonesia is taking its dispute over the EU's anti-dumping duty on its exports of biodiesel to the WTO.
Indonesia has requested the opening of consultations with the EU at the WTO on the anti-dumping duty of 18.9% introduced in 2013 against exports of Indonesian biodiesel. Jakarta takes the view that these taxes are incompatible with WTO rules, according to sources close to the WTO, the news agency Reuters reports on Wednesday 11 June.
Argentina, whose exports of biodiesel have also been hit by an anti-dumping duty of 24.6% on the European market since November 2013, complained to the WTO about the EU's measures in March of this year (DS 473). On 25 April, the WTO dispute settlement body approved the creation of a special group to rule on the case (see EUROPE 11068).
Brought in by the EU temporarily in May 2013, and then definitively at the end of November for a period of five years, the EU's anti-dumping duty on Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel aims to re-establish a situation of competition given the dumping resulting, according to a Commission investigation, from a differential export tax system brought in by Indonesia and Argentina to favour their biodiesel. This system is based on the application of a higher tax for raw materials (Argentinian soya and Indonesian palm oil) than for processed products made from these raw materials.
Argentina is the world's largest producer of bio-fuels made from soya, ahead of Indonesia and Malaysia, which produce a bio-fuel based on palm oil. (EH)