Commission to investigate influx of Chinese biofuel imports, reports

The European Commission said it would be probing a complaint from a member state about possible fraud relating to biofuel imports from China.
A statement sent to Fastmarkets Agriculture acknowledged the complaint and called on those in the industry to fully cooperate with the investigation.
It follows the influx of Chinese-sourced waste-based biodiesel through the early part of this year that has swamped key European markets and was accused of harming domestic production of both waste-based and conventional biofuels.
“The Commission has been informed by a member state about possible fraud cases related to biofuel imports from China into the EU,” the statement to Fastmarkets read.
Reuters has named the member state as Germany.
“The EU takes any allegations of fraud very seriously and will not hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of its biofuels market,” the statement said. “All economic actors involved in the biofuels market to cooperate fully and report any suspicious activities.”
The confirmation comes after several European industry groups had flagged their concerns over inbound Chinese flows – with many using pointed language to highlight the nature of their concerns.
EWABA has called for “bold measures” as it drew attention to the impact that an increase in “dubious” flows has had on the bloc’s own domestic producers.