WTO Panel Issues Ruling on the Biodiesel Dispute Between Argentina and the EU

By Victoria Hines

A WTO panel released its decision last week on the dispute between Argentina and the EU over the EU’s duties on Argentine biodiesel. The panel found that the duties exceeded the dumping margins deemed as appropriate in the WTO rules. In May 2013, Brussels imposed anti-dumping duties. Argentina’s Foreign Trade Ministry argued that these measures cost the country approximately $1.6 billion in annual biodiesel sales. The panel reasoned that the EU violated WTO rules by “failing to calculate production costs on the basis of company records.” Argentina and the EU have 60 days from the report’s release to appeal.