EU Asks WTO for Compliance Panel on Colombia Antidumping Duties on Frozen Fries

The EU asked the World Trade Organization to establish a compliance panel regarding Colombia's tariffs on frozen fries from the EU, the Directorate-General for Trade announced Nov. 14. The bloc decided to make the move after consultations between the parties fell through, the Directorate-General said.

The EU opened compliance proceedings against Colombia in May, alleging it has failed to comply with WTO rulings on the nation's antidumping duties on frozen fries from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany (see 2405310019). The EU prevailed in both a dispute settlement panel and an arbitral tribunal assembled under the WTO's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Agreement, which the parties used in lieu of a functioning Appellate Body.

Colombia maintains it has incorporated the recommendations of the WTO bodies, revising its original AD determination but continuing to impose the duties with adjusted margins. The EU alleged that "Colombia artificially created and/or inflated the dumping margins by using WTO-incompatible methodologies."

Once assembled, the compliance panel will have 90 days to issue a report.