Indonesia has requested World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute consultations with the European Union regarding the bloc's imposition of duties on imports of biodiesel from the country. The request was circulated to WTO members on Tuesday (15/8). The trade body said that Indonesia argues that the EU countervailing duties and the investigation that led to their imposition are inconsistent with WTO provisions. According to Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, the director general of international trade cooperation at Indonesia's trade ministry, the EU has imposed countervailing duties of between 8 percent and 18 percent for Indonesian biodiesel since 2019. “The imposition of the import duties has caused serious damage to Indonesian industry, especially when the global economy has only started to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Djatmiko said on Wednesday (16/8). Indonesia's total biodiesel exports dropped by 28 percent in 2019 from a year earlier, to 1.2 million tonnes according to Indonesia’s Statistics (BPS). The EU accounted for about 52 percent of its 2018 biodiesel shipments and 45 percent in 2019. Indonesia shipped 435,827 tonnes of biodiesel in 2022, with 22.47 percent of that shipped to the EU.Link di fonte: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indonesia-launches-wto-dispute-over-eu-duties-biodiesel-imports-2023-08-15/ (ICE GIACARTA)

Fonte notizia: Reuters - 16 August 2023