Parliamentary question - O-000006/2018Parliamentary question
O-000006/2018

  US attack on EU farm support under the CAP (in the context of Spanish olives)

Question for oral answer O-000006/2018
to the Commission
Rule 128
Czesław Adam Siekierski
on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development
Bernd Lange
on behalf of the Committee on International Trade

Procedure : 2018/2566(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
O-000006/2018
Texts tabled :
O-000006/2018 (B8-0007/2018)
Votes :
Texts adopted :

The ongoing antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations on ripe olives from Spain was initiated on 13 July 2017 after it was concluded that the subsidies which the olive industry received in the EU meant that olive products could be imported into the United States at below market price.

Taking into account that the increase in Spanish exports has only had a very limited impact on the situation of the two US olive producers, the main worrying aspect of this case is that the CVD investigation targets certain support measures under the common agricultural policy (CAP) although they fully qualify for the criteria of green box payments according to the WTO. The measures being targeted by the CVD investigation are those such as the Basic Payment Scheme, Aid for Young Farmers, etc. that are not linked to production, do not distort price levels on specific agricultural markets and do not distort international trade.

On 19 January 2018, the Department of Commerce imposed an unjustified countervailing customs duty on Spanish olives of more than 17 %.

What action has the Commission already taken to tackle this matter?

How is the Commission supporting the Spanish firms concerned and what actions are planned by the Commission to counteract this threat to the CAP?

Is the Commission reflecting on the possibility of challenging the USA at the WTO?

Tabled: 30.1.2018

Forwarded: 1.2.2018

Deadline for reply: 8.2.2018

Last updated: 5 February 2018
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