With Colombian Resolution 108 of March 11, 2026, Colombia lifted all anti-dumping duties on imports of frozen French fries from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, restoring full market access for 85% of EU frozen French fries exports that had been affected by the duties. The value of EU exports affected by the measure was approximately €19.3 million annually.  

The EU Commission explains in a statement that "the restoration of full market access marks the definitive resolution of the decade-long WTO dispute between the EU and Colombia." The dispute, the EU Commission emphasizes, "demonstrates the effectiveness of the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Agreement (MPIA), which ensures a fully operational dispute resolution system within the WTO between participating countries."

This, the Brussels statement adds, is the first dispute to reach the full compliance stage through the MPIA, of which both the EU and Colombia are members. With the new resolution, the original anti-dumping duties imposed by Colombia in 2018 on imports of frozen potato chips from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands were deemed "in violation of WTO rules by both a panel and MPIA arbitrators in 2022."

Colombia's first attempt to implement the decisions was also deemed non-compliant with WTO rules by a compliance panel on October 23, 2025. The second implementation attempt, completed this week, was successful and resulted in the repeal of all tariffs.

The MPIA is a mechanism created by the EU and other members in 2020 to preserve a functioning dispute resolution system in the absence of a functioning Appellate Body at the WTO. It covers 60% of world trade and has proven its effectiveness in numerous WTO disputes, particularly the one between the EU and China over the protection of intellectual property rights.

Current MPIA members are: Australia, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the European Union (and its member states), Guatemala, Hong Kong (China), Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Macao (China), Mexico, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Vietnam.