The European Union has once again denounced the United States before the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday to withdraw the tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on imports of Spanish black olives since 2018. Specifically, since August 2018, Spanish exports have been subject to a 35% tariff after complaints from the Californian production sector. This is 20% as ‘antidumping’ and another 15% as compensation for the aid received by farmers from the Common Agrarian Policy (PAC) From the Association of Table Olive Exporters (Asemesa), its general secretary Antonio de Mora told this medium that “this is one more step in the process to force the United States to comply with the WTO rulings.”
For De Mora, the only way to get the US side to withdraw the part of the tariff against which the international organization has ruled is “applying retaliatory measures and sanctions.” Airbus. In any case, the Asemesa representative has considered the news “very positive” although he has confirmed “the slowness” of a procedure that has been going on for years.
The enéismo panel and an old commercial conflict
Once the panel that the EU claims is constituted, this body will have 90 days to issue a ruling that the United States may still appeal. If the process concludes in favor of the European demands without Washington complying with the ruling by the WTO, the European Commission has warned that it will be entitled to take retaliatory measures.
In November of last year, the WTO agreed with the Spanish black olive producers and ruled that the 25% tariffs applied by the United States to the export of this product to the North American market, imposed in 2018 by the Donald Trump administration, violate comply with the rules of the multilateral institution.
Brussels remained pending the development of events after the US government, already under the administration of Joe Biden, accepted this ruling, but considered that the United States has so far failed to comply with the WTO ruling and that it continues to apply illegitimate tariffs that could expel to Spanish exporters of olives in the US market.
The main objective of the compliance proceedings launched this Friday is to pressure the United States to comply with the ruling and eliminate its “unjustified” tariffs on Spanish black olives.
