WTO Dispute Settlement Body establishes panels on trade restrictions for EU exports of electronic products and frozen fries

The establishment of the two panels comes after a three-month break in the DSB’s work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU had requested the establishment of the panels already on 17 February and welcomes the resumption of DSB’s meetings and the establishment of the panels.

The dispute with Colombia concerns anti-dumping duties of 3% to 8% affecting nearly all sales of frozen fries from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in the Colombian market worth over €19 million a year.

The dispute with India concerns exports of products such as cell phones, telephone handsets and telecommunication wires hit by tariffs of up to 20%, contrary to the Indian WTO duty-free commitments and affecting exports worth around €400 million a year and related EU jobs.

The request for the establishment of a panel in both disputes follows government-to-government formal consultations, which took place on 21 May 2019 with India and on 15-16 January 2020 with Colombia, and multiple earlier bilateral contacts that did not lead to the removal of the trade restrictions.

For more information

EU request for WTO panel establishment with India (17 February 2020)

EU request for WTO panel establishment on dispute with Colombia (17 February 2020)

WTO dispute with India on import duties on ICT

WTO dispute with Colombia on anti-dumping duties on frozen fries

EU action to enforce existing global trade rules

WTO dispute settlement system