Trade Ministry international trade director general Oke Nurwan has said the Indonesian government and several companies have won in a biodiesel antidumping case against the European Union at the appeal hearing at the EU court recently.

The court had ordered the EU to scrap the antidumping tariffs between 8.8 to 23.3 percent against Indonesian biodiesel products, said Oke in a statement received by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

“With the decision, Indonesian businesspeople can export biodiesel products without facing any antidumping tariffs,” said Oke, adding that the decision had come into effect on March 16

Oke said it was a double victory for Indonesian biodiesel products as previously, Indonesia had won a similar case in the World Trade Organization dispute settlement body.

“The decision shows that Indonesian palm oil products are not subsidized and are not sold at dumping prices,” he said, adding that the court’s decisions were expected to help Indonesia expand its biodiesel market.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesian biodiesel exports to the EU peaked in 2011, which was recorded at US$1.4 billion before the union imposed antidumping tariffs on Indonesian biodiesel products in 2013.

But since then, Indonesian biodiesel products to the EU constantly declined, with the lowest level occurring in 2015 ($68 million).

The EU imposed antidumping tariffs on Indonesian biodiesel on Nov. 19, 2013. Indonesia filed the lawsuit against the decision with the EU first court on Feb. 19, 2014. (bbn)