World Trade Organization members during April 25-28 "Fish Week" talks showed a willingness to embark on text-based negotiations on fisheries subsidies talks, the WTO said. While the first Fish Week, held in March (see 2303270014), centered on what members wanted to see from the second phase of the talks, the second Fish Week looked at how these objectives would be achieved via bilateral consultations, small group meetings and two plenary meetings, the WTO said.
The European Parliament’s International Trade Committee approved a proposal last week that would renew the EU's suspension of import duties, antidumping duties and safeguards against Ukraine for another year. Members voted 27-1, and seven abstentions, to approve the measure, which would continue to suspend import duties on agricultural products, industrial items and other goods. The proposal is scheduled to be voted on by all members next week and will need to be approved by the European Council.
The EU opened compliance proceedings against the U.S. stemming from its alleged "failure to comply with" the World Trade Organization ruling on its countervailing duties covering ripe olives from Spain, the EU's Directorate-General for Trade announced last week. The proceedings' first step involves a "request for consultations" at the WTO with the U.S. with the goal of "reaching a negotiated settlement." If this measure fails, the EU can request a compliance panel. If the panel confirms noncompliance, the EU will be allowed to take "further measures," the bloc said.
The World Trade Organization's published agenda for the Dispute Settlement Body's April 28 meeting includes U.S. status reports on the implementation of DSB recommendations on antidumping measures on certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan; antidumping and countervailing measures on large residential washers from South Korea; certain methodologies and their application to antidumping proceedings involving China; and Section 110(5) of the U.S. Copyright Act. Status reports are also expected from Indonesia on measures related to the import of horticultural products, animals and animal products, and from the EU on measures affecting the approval and marketing of biotech products.
Two attorneys with Sandler Travis, Sarah Yuskaitis and Joshua Rodman, were promoted to members, the firm announced. Yuskaitis joined Sandler Travis in 2017 and primarily advises clients on antidumping and countervailing duty and trade remedies proceedings. Rodman joined the firm in 2019 and centers his practice on export controls and sanctions compliance.
The EU extended the antidumping duties on stainless steel hot-rolled coils from Indonesia to imports of the same goods from Turkey. The move comes after an anti-circumvention investigation revealed that the Indonesian imports were skirting the duties via Turkey. "The extension of anti-dumping measures to SSHR from Turkiye is necessary in order to enforce the trade defence measures in place since October 2020 on imports of SSHR from Indonesia, China and Taiwan," the European Commission said April 18.
Japan and China agreed to enter into arbitration under the World Trade Organization's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Agreement, an alternative to the Appellate Body, related to a spat over China's antidumping duties on stainless steel products from Japan. Submitting a notice of agreed procedures for arbitration, Japan and China said they will take to arbitration, given that there are less than three AB members.
The European Commission on April 14 renewed the antidumping duties on stainless steel tube and pipe butt-welding fittings from China and Taiwan for another five years, following an expiry review investigation. The proceeding showed that allowing the duties to lapse would harm the EU pipe fittings industry, the commission said. The duties range from 5.1% to 12.1% for Taiwan, and from 30.7% to 64.9% for China.
Colombia “ignored its own Essential Facts report” when it extended by five years its countervailing duty on U.S. ethanol imports, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 10 report. Colombia issued an essential facts report in January on its expiry review of the duties, which “argued that there is evidence of continued subsidies for U.S. ethanol, but no clear evidence that the current CVD improved the local ethanol industry’s economic performance,” USDA said. The report calculated a recommended CVD of .035¢/kg, lower than the original .066¢/kg, but Colombia “ignored its own report and issued a final ruling," USDA said, and extended the original investigation duty of .066¢/kg on U.S. ethanol for five years.
Mexico and Colombia recently announced antidumping duty actions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported April 4. Mexico renewed an AD order on certain aluminum cookware for five years, while Colombia began an AD sunset review on steel sinks.