MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentina challenges EU bio-diesel import restriction rules before WTO
Argentina is among the world’s leading producers of competitive bio-diesel Argentina has launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization against European Union rules for importing and marketing bio-diesel, the WTO said.
The complaint applies to EU measures - used by Spain, Belgium, France, Italy and Poland - intended to promote renewable energy and the introduction of a mechanism to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as support schemes for the bio-diesel sector, the WTO said in a statement.
The EU has 60 days to address Argentina's complaint, by explaining or changing its rules. After that, Argentina could ask the WTO to adjudicate, which could force the EU to change any illegal practices or eventually face trade sanctions.
“The objective of the action taken in Geneva is to assure that international norms guaranteeing equal access to the European market are respected,” the Argentine Government said in a statement.
Argentina’s bio-diesel industry trade group, known by its Spanish acronym Carbio, issued a statement supporting the action.
The legal challenge comes less than nine months after another Argentine complaint at the WTO about EU bio-diesel policy, which alleged that Spain was illegally requiring a certain amount of its bio-fuel to come from within the EU.
Spain then changed its law, and Argentina dropped its claim. But Argentina and its rival big bio-diesel supplier, Indonesia, have remained vigilant to ensure their exports get into Europe.
The EU has said it suspects Argentina of illegally dumping bio-fuel on the EU market, an allegation that Argentina says has left its producers running at half their capacity.
Indonesia could bring a separate WTO complaint if the EU imposes penalties on its bio-diesel, an industry group said this month.
The Argentine Foreign Ministry official release establishes that bio-diesel exports to the EU last year represented 14% of total sales to Europe. “The Argentine government considers the restrictions to Argentine bio-diesel and other Argentine produce as obstacles which hinder a constructive dialogue climate in the framework of bilateral and regional trade negotiations”.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsSo transporting bio-diesel from Argentina to Europe, some 7000 miles, (or from Brazil for that matter), is environmentally friendly and saving the planet from the deadly CO2?
May 16th, 2013 - 08:58 am 0Forgive me if I’m seeing hypocrisy here.
May 16th, 2013 - 11:05 am 0Argentina are complaining that they believe that the EU are unfairly restricting the import of their Bio Fuel in favour of local solutions and have gone to the WTO to complain about this to have the perceived restrictions removed. But at the same time they have their own internal import economic blockage to suppliers of Argentina forcing companies to export as much as they import in order to do trade outside of the country.
So Argentina wants it cake and everyone else’s cake all at the same time… As this is being looked at seriously by the WTO…?
The Argentine government is a bunch of loons. They totally lock out almost the entire world including their neighbors like Brazil from importing into Argentina all to acquire dollars that they lack. Yet they expect everyone they lockout to open their markets to imports? It seems that Argentina creates their own rules and cry's to “Big Daddy”, be it the UN or the WTO when other's play by Argentina's rule. Consistency and uniformity is a concept the Botox Bitch's regime fails to grasp.....or chooses to ignore and expects everyone else to ignore as well. Don't worry kirchner.......no one, inculding inside the walls of Argentina is crying for you.
May 16th, 2013 - 01:27 pm 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!