The ACP secretariat calls for withdrawal of the challenge to the EU sugar regime
The ACP secretary-general issued a statement on October 22nd 2002 expressing concern over the Brazilian and Australian WTO challenge to the EU sugar regime. Secretary-general Goulongana maintained that the challenge was threatening the livelihood of a large number of poor farmers and workers in ACP states. He called on Brazil and Australia to take account of the vital interests of the ACP countries and to withdraw their challenge to the EU sugar regime. Comment: While successful Brazilian and Australian challenges in the WTO would compel the EU to reform the sugar regime, this is by no means the only factor increasing pressure for reform of the EU sugar sector. The sector is now out of step with the broad trajectory for CAP reform, and bringing it into line is a mounting imperative. Such a process of reform would involve price reductions and the introduction of direct aid payments to EU sugar farmers. This will have a profound impact on the value of EU sugar preferences. However, this trajectory for reform in the sugar sector is likely to occur regardless of the outcome of the Brazilian and Australian WTO challenge. A key issue for the ACP is how it is going to persuade the EU to take up and address the external effects of EU sugar-sector reform: reform measures need to be designed and implemented in such a way as to ensure that the adjustment burden carried by ACP sugar producing countries is minimised.
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
2002
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/52571 http://agritrade.cta.int/Back-issues/Agriculture-monthly-news-update/2002/December-2002 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|