Indonesia Files Dispute Against EU over Anti-dumping Policy

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has filed dispute with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the European Union (EU) and its anti-dumping policy on Indonesian fatty alcohol. In this case, Indonesia alleged the EU violating the Agreement on Anti-Dumping and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

“This dispute is filed by the Indonesian government through the Trade Ministry as its commitment protecting national businesses,” Trade Ministry’s director for trade security Oke Nurwan said on Sunday, November 29, 2015.

Oke said that the dispute had reached the first substantive meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 25-26, 2015. Indonesia protested the anti-dumping policy, since it had hampered access to EU’s fatty alcohol market.

The meeting was attended by plaintiff and defendant, as well as India, South Korea, Malaysia, Turkey, and the United States as third parties. Indonesian delegations consisted of Oke, Trade Ministry’s acting director of multilateral cooperation Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono, and International Trade Advocacy Service Center head Ahmad Firdaus Sukmono.

According to Oke, WTO member countries have the authority to take measures, such as anti-dumping policies, to secure trade. However, such a policy often causes problem and losses for other WTO members.

Oke asserted that investigation authorities should have a strong analysis before implementing a security measure against a country.

“In this case, the EU had taken an anti-dumping policy on Indonesian fatty alcohol product without a strong reason,” he said.

PINGIT ARIA