Brussels, 17/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - At the Special Committee on Agriculture on Monday 16 November, not enough EU member states supported the Swedish Presidency compromise that provided for reimbursement of €295.5 million of sugar production levies to the sector (see also EUROPE 10019). Indeed, only 10 member states, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom backed the Presidency approach, when 18 were needed. Among the 14 which voted against the compromise were Italy and most of the last 12 countries to join the EU. Thus, it will be the regulation initially proposed by the European Commission that will come into force: reimbursement of only €10 million to producers. The matter is unlikely to end there, however. There is no that producers will take the matter to the courts, believing reimbursement to be too low. In May 2008, the European Court of Justice concluded that sugar production levies from the period 2002-03 to 2005-06 were too high.
Sugar levies form EU own resources (traditional on resources). The proposed reimbursement will have no effect on EU spending. Since own resources will fall by €10 million with reimbursement of producers, EU countries will have to repay the same amount to the EU budget, proportionate with their GNI (Gross National Income). Thus, it has been calculated that the countries that will have to find most are Germany (€2.4 million), France (€2.3 million), Poland (€996,000), the Netherlands (€591,000), Belgium (€578,000), the United Kingdom (€544,000), Italy (€438,000) and Spain (€404,000). (L.C./transl.rt)