Brussels, 23/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - At the Agriculture Council on Monday 22 February, the European Commission turned down a request made by Portugal, with the support of the United Kingdom, Bulgarian, Finnish and Romanian delegations, for a zero rate tariff quota for imports of raw cane sugar to be opened for refineries. The Commission said that conditions did not allow such a measure, with supply being sufficient. Poland opposed the Portuguese request.
New European Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloº acknowledged that the global sugar market situation, with high world prices, meant that some refineries were having difficulty finding supplies in the conditions they wanted. The Commission felt, however, that the community market was well supplied by the various existing sources (Community production by sugar factories, refineries and imports). Cioloº said that the Commission expected a sugar surplus of 300,000 tonnes on the Community market next year (given the increase in imports linked to economic partnership agreements and the Everything But Arms initiative). (L.C./transl.rt)