EU-28: EU’s General Court Rules Against Anti-dumping Duty on U.S. Ethanol

On June 9, 2016, the European Union (EU) General Court ruled that the European Commission (EC) violated its own laws by issuing a country-wide anti-dumping (AD) duty on imports of U.S. ethanol. The exact interpretation of the ruling as well as its implications for U.S. bioethanol exports to the EU are currently unknown. The EC has two months to file an appeal of the ruling, during which time the AD duty will remain in place. Although there have been some developments since AD duties were imposed in 2013 that limit U.S. export volumes, U.S. price competitiveness would improve if these duties were annulled or lowered which, in turn, could lead to increased U.S. exports. However, the longer-term FAS outlook for EU policy suggests that sales growth opportunity for all suppliers is constrained and U.S. exports are unlikely to reach the previous 2011 export record of 300 million gallons (MG) even if the AD duty is removed due to a multitude of factors.

EU-28: EU’s General Court Rules Against Anti-dumping Duty on U.S. Ethanol