The Government of Spain welcomes the formal request of the European Union for the World Trade Organization to form a special group to investigate the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures imposed by the United States in August 2018 on the Spanish black olive.
The European Union has requested for the first time the creation of this group as a result of the concern about the way in which anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations were conducted. The application mentions issues such as the non-specificity of the aids, the errors in the application of a pass-through coefficient to the final prices, the analysis of causality between the measures and the damage, and the use of incorrect data used in the case of a Spanish company.
The Government, through the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, has been working intensively for more than a year to defend the interests of the black olive producing sector, concentrated mainly in the province of Seville. At the end of September 2018, Reyes Maroto requested the reversion of the measures to the North American Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, and has maintained a coordinated position with the Trade Commissioner of the European Union, Cecilia Malmström. Likewise, the Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, has pointed out in different international forums that the imposed tariffs are not justified and violate the WTO rules, as there has not been sufficient evidence that the importation of Spanish black olive has harmed the the American producers.
Although the United States has blocked the panel's request for training, which would be composed of three experts, the European Union can reapply within 10 days or at the next meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, which will take place. the 24th of June.
