Argentina accused Europe of engaging in "aggressive protectionism" on
Tuesday after it slapped import tariffs on biodiesel fuel from Argentina
and Indonesia.
"Unable to compete, Europe is pushing an aggressive
protectionism against Argentine biodiesel," the foreign ministry said in
a statement.
The European Commission said Tuesday it will impose tariffs on
imports of Argentine and Indonesian biodiesel after concluding that
both countries were dumping the fuel at below cost to gain market share.
The Argentine foreign ministry said the EC decision was part
of an "escalation of the historic European protectionism, aggravated
today by the crisis that the European Union is going through."
It said the tariffs lacked "technical justification" and "are
due to the incapacity of European producers to compete with more
efficient producers, which is the case of the Argentine and Indonesian
biodiesel producers."
Bio-diesel is made by adding other oils, usually from plants
such as palm, to the traditional fuel to make it more environmentally
friendly.