EU Launches New Trade Inquiry into Argentine Biodiesel

Argentina Business News/Analysis European Union (EU)Indonesia Opinions Policy

February 01, 2018

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by Philip Blenkinsop and Sybille de la Hamaide (Reuters) The European Commission has begun a new investigation into whether Argentine biodiesel exporters benefit from unfair subsidies, following a complaint in December by the European Biodiesel Board (EBB).

The EU’s official journal said on Wednesday that the Commission had found the complaint contained evidence that Argentine producers had benefited from government subsidies.

These came in the form of artificially cheap goods and services, such as soybeans, excessively high prices paid for the biodiesel or price support, preferential loans and government revenue, such as tax, foregone or not collected, it said.

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Oilseed processor Saipol has said it plans to cut its biodiesel production in France by around half this year, blaming renewed imports of Argentine biodiesel for exacerbating poor market conditions.

The EU’s new investigation would offer another channel for imposing effective tariffs on imported biodiesel as Argentina, and Indonesia, both major producers, have mounted successful challenges to anti-dumping duties, which the European Union set for five years in 2013.

Argentina and Indonesia have called the trade measures protectionist. READ MORE

Argentinian biodiesel investigation initiated by European Commission (Biofuels International)

Macri complained to the US about the commercial obstacles to biodiesel (Los Andes)

Europe struggles to stem biodiesel import flood (Street Insider/Reuters)