The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to issue preliminary countervailing duty determinations around September 15 and preliminary anti-dumping duties by November 29. But Copa and Cogeca warn that such a measure would be illegal. Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said that it would not be justified to impose the duties and would set an unprecedented risk for other production sectors under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
“The main reason why Spanish imports of black table olives are so competitive is because producers have made big efforts to cut their production costs and have also made important investments in cutting edge technology. Cooperatives also help farmers to be more efficient as they provide services to them using economies of scale. Furthermore, support under the CAP is authorised under WTO rules and consequently has not been found to distort competition. It would be totally unacceptable to impose such measures, especially when most countries in the world have some sort of support system”, he insisted. .
Copa and Cogeca consequently urge the Commission to take the matter more seriously even taking part in the legal process and, if necessary, lodge a complaint to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
