The European Union launched a case at the WTO against Colombia on Monday, after a furious outcry from Belgium, the self-proclaimed inventor of the French fry or chip. The EU's top trade official said efforts to reason with Colombia had failed, with Bogota insisting on imposing tariffs on fry exports from Belgian, Dutch and German businesses.
"I have given instructions (...) to initiate as soon as possible a dispute in the framework of the WTO against Colombia," EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters.
The Colombian tariffs "are unfair" and "harm companies" in the three countries, she alleged.
The potato was first farmed in the Andes mountains of South America, but once it is chipped and fried, Belgium claims it as its own - and exports it to back to consumers in its ancestral home.
Despite being widely dubbed "French", fries are a prized product in Belgium and its frites culture was added to the UNESCO cultural treasures list last year.
Colombia, however, accuses the Europeans of dumping cheap frozen chips - known locally as papas - on its market and undercutting struggling local producers.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019
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