(Bloomberg) -- Spain is confident the U.S. will remove additional custom duties on olive imports in coming months if a court in Washington rules again in favor of Spanish growers.
The U.S. Court of International Trade is set to issue its third decision on the matter by the end of July, after the previous rulings favorable to Spanish companies were appealed by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Spain is the world's largest olive producer, and its exports to the U.S. plunged after the Trump administration imposed import taxes on products it deemed to be subsidized with trade-distorting aid from the European Union.
Spain's Secretary of State for Trade Xiana Mendez said her government expects the court to again favor Agro Sevilla Aceitunas SCA and Angel Camacho Alimentacion SL, strengthening Madrid's position that the duties are unfair.
A World Trade Organization panel backed Spain in November, saying that U.S. did not apply the measures correctly. The U.S. declined to appeal that ruling.
Read More: U.S. Backs Down on Spanish Olives to Avert EU Trade Fight
So far the U.S. has cut the additional duties to 7.3% following an internal revision. The Spanish government is now waiting to negotiate the deadline for the U.S. to abide by the WTO's decision.
As the legal overhaul could take time, the Spanish government has asked Washington to scrap the duties in the meantime, “being aware of the unfair damage Spanish olive maker are suffering,” Mendez said in an interview. “The two things aren't incompatible, it's just a matter of political will,” she said.
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