The European Commission (EC)’s anti-dumping duties on imports of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from China officially came into force with its publication in the EU Official Journal on 10 February.
The measures were introduced following an anti-dumping investigation into the impact of biodiesel imports from China on the European Union (EU) biodiesel industry, which faced unfair competition and possible plant closures, the Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade) said in a statement on 11 February.
The move will protect around 6,000 EU jobs across more than 60 producers in 18 member states, according to DG Trade.
Chinese exports into the EU market would be subject to an anti-dumping duty of between 21.7% and 35.6%, except for EcoCeres, which would be subject to a 10% duty. The measure was expected to impact around 50 companies in China.
In its decision, the EC made it clear that Chinese exporters would not be allowed to circumvent the duties by channeling their biodiesel through other Chinese exporters who had received lower duties, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) said on 11 February.
The association said the protection against Chinese biodiesel imports was not “perfect” as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was not included.
“The publication of the regulation imposing definitive anti-dumping duties on HVO and FAME from China marks the end of a two-year long process,” EBB secretary general Xavier Noyon said.
“The duties and the guarantees they bring are good news for the European biodiesel industry, but we’re not out of the woods yet … sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is not included in the scope of the duties, but the European Commission is clearly aware of this threat.”
The EBB said SAF imports from China would be closely monitored thanks to a dedicated, code-based system.
“The EBB will not shy away from further actions to ensure EU producers are protected from unfair trade practices and that we can deliver on the ambitions of the EU for climate neutral transport,” Noyon added.
The official imposition of anti-dumping duties was also welcomed by Germany’s Union for the Promotion of Plants and Protein (UFOP).
In its statement on 12 February, UFOP said: “Chinese companies are not only partly responsible for the price pressure in the EU market, but also for the suspected fraudulent imports, which in turn require stricter certification requirements and, in particular, a registration procedure for biofuel producers.”
UFOP also welcomed the EC’s rejection of an application by Chinese companies to exclude HVO from the anti-dumping measures but, like the EBB, was concerned that SAF imports were excluded.
“UFOP shares the biofuel industry’s fears that this will leave a loophole and is therefore calling for strict declaration and proof of suitability as aviation fuel in accordance with the fuel specifications up to the storage tank of the distributor for blending with fossil paraffin.”
Provisional anti-dumping duties were introduced in July 2024, following a probe by the EBB, but were subject to the approval of national governments of EU member states, which was granted on 8 January during the Trade Defence Instruments Committee meeting.
