Colombia: European fries win tariff lawsuit against domestic potatoes

A new controversy has arisen in the international trade arena following the recent ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the case between Colombia and the European Union over the import of frozen French fries. The organization’s decision represents a partial victory for the country, as it recognizes the legitimacy of the antidumping measures adopted by national authorities, but orders a technical review of the methods used to calculate the additional tariffs applied to this product.

The conflict began in 2018, when the Colombian government imposed anti-dumping duties on frozen French fries imported from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. At the time, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism argued that potatoes were entering the Colombian market at artificially low prices, distorting competition and directly affecting local producers. The measure sought to correct this disadvantage and protect the domestic industry from trade practices considered unfair.

According to current regulations, the duties applied to frozen French fries imports range from 2.42% to 44.52%, depending on the manufacturer. However, the WTO concluded that the procedure used by Colombia to calculate these duties did not fully comply with the criteria of the Anti-Dumping Agreement, which would have affected market access conditions for European exporters. The ruling, while not annulling the imposed measures, requires the country to review the technical and methodological basis of its calculation.

Colombian potato chip production affected by international ruling. Photo: Pexels – Beatriz Braga. What is the government’s position regarding the WTO’s ruling?

In response to this decision, the Ministry of Commerce stated that Colombia welcomes the WTO Panel’s observations and announced that it "will proceed with a review of the process to verify compliance and, if necessary, will take appropriate action."