On 15 October, European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan confirmed that the Commission was preparing to file a formal complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against definitive anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed by the United States since 1 August on imports of black olives from Spain. The duties are ramped up from 16% to 25% and from 7% to 27% respectively (see EUROPE 12062).
Hogan’s colleague responsible for trade, Cecilia Malmström, explains in response to a parliamentary question that such measures, established initially as provisional, caused a 35% fall in imports concerned during the first half of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, while those of other Spanish table olives have remained stable.
American countervailing duties on black olives from Spain target CAP (common agricultural policy) support schemes contained in the WTO “green box”, including greening and basic payments, which are not specific to any one product and are decoupled from production, the European commissioner underlines. Due to this, she adds, American measures “raise serious concerns of a systemic nature”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)