WTO to probe EU’s trade complaints against Buenos Aires

31/01/2013 12:00 - 434 Views

The World Trade Organisation agreed, on 28 January, to set up a dispute settlement panel to probe whether Argentina is guilty of using trade distorting measures. The move comes after the European Commission requested, in December 2012, that the international trade body judge the legality of Argentina’s alleged import restrictions.

In May 2012, the Commission filed an initial complaint with the WTO, claiming that Buenos Aires’ restrictions on imports had affected about €500 million worth of European exports throughout 2012. The measures challenged by the EU executive are the pre-registration and pre-approval regime called the ‘Declaracion Jurada Anticipada de Importacion’, the non-automatic import licensing, and the requirement that Argentine importers balance their imports with exports.

At the meeting of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body, on 28 January, Argentine officials said that measures had been adopted since 25 January to ease the tensions, notably repealing all non-automatic import licences, AFP reported. But according to the news agency citing a source close to the matter, the complainants were “not convinced”. The panel now has six months to report on its findings.

On 28 January, the Commission also issued a regulation making imports of biodiesel originating from Argentina subject to registration. Claiming Argentine biodiesel had been dumped into the EU market, the European Biodiesel Board requested the move in September 2012 so that measures may be applied against those imports from the date of registration. In August 2012, the Commission initiated an anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of the Argentine product.

Tuesday 29 January 2013

By LénaïcVaudind’Imécourt

Source: europolitics.info