Finance
WTO backs EU in frozen fries tariff dispute with Colombia
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
The WTO ruled in favor of the EU in a dispute over Colombia's tariffs on frozen fries, allowing potential EU retaliation.
GENEVA (Reuters) -The World Trade Organization backed the European Union on Thursday in a case against import duties applied by Colombia to frozen fries from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
The European Union had already won an initial case in December 2022 over whether the anti-dumping duties of between 3% and 8% on frozen fries from November 2018 breached global trading rules.
Thursday's finding that Colombia had not complied with the earlier ruling opens the door for the European Union to win the right to retaliate, although Colombia may first appeal.
While small in monetary terms, the dispute holds symbolic importance particularly for Belgium, which says it invented the "French" fry.
The EU exported 23 million euros ($26.8 million) worth of frozen fries to Colombia in 2016, before Colombia started the process of setting the tariff. The duties affected 85% of EU exports of frozen fries to Colombia.
The initial WTO panel ruling found fault in the way in which Colombian authorities calculated the tariffs.
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
Anti-dumping duties are tariffs imposed on foreign imports that are priced below fair market value. They are intended to protect domestic industries from unfair competition.
A trade dispute occurs when countries disagree on trade practices, policies, or tariffs. These disputes can lead to negotiations or legal proceedings in international trade organizations like the WTO.
Frozen fries hold symbolic importance for Belgium, as the country claims to have invented the French fry. This cultural significance adds weight to trade disputes involving Belgian fries.
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