“We hope that the United States will take the necessary steps to apply the WTO ruling, so that exports of ripe olives from Spain to the United States can return under normal conditions,” he said.
Black olives are used in the United States mainly for making pizzas, and Spanish exports to that economy amount to about 70 million euros per year (2017 figures).
According to sources in the Spanish sector, these tariffs caused the export of black olives to the US worth 130 million euros in the last three years and 70% of the market was lost, in which non-EU exporters such as Morocco or Egypt.
The Spanish black olive generates 8,000 direct jobs and another 8,000 indirect ones; Andalusia produces 80%, Extremadura 15% and there is also a small part of the production in Murcia.
However, the commercial dispute transcends the sector of black olives and for the European Union it is considered of high political value.
Under WTO regulations, the parties have 60 days to appeal the ruling. If Washington recurs, it would practically amount to a veto of the decision.
With information from AFP and EFE
