The EU farming and agri-cooperative organisations, Copa and Cogeca, expressed regret on Friday 25 August at the announcement by the United States on the imposition of anti-dumping measures on imports of Spanish black table olives (see EUROPE 11836).
The US Department of Commerce is expected to issue “preliminary countervailing duty determinations” around September 15 and preliminary anti-dumping duties by November 29.
Copa and Cogeca believe such a measure to be “illegal”. Copa and Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that it would not be justified to impose the duties and “would set an unprecedented risk for other production sectors” in the EU. “The main reason why Spanish imports of black table olives are so competitive is because producers have made big efforts to cut their production costs and have also made important investments in cutting edge technology”, he argues.
Complaint to WTO? He adds that support under the CAP (common agricultural policy) is authorised under WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules. Copa and Cogeca urge the European Commission to take the matter more seriously by taking legal action and, if necessary, lodging a complaint with the WTO. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)