Brussels, 23/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - The ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries are deeply disappointed by the political decision of the EU to extend the common organisation of the single market in the sugar sector for only two years - in other words until 2017, instead of until 2020 - and they deplore the fact that the EU has thus ignored their efforts to raise awareness of the prime importance of the sugar industry for their economies and social fabric (see EUROPE 10875).
In the view of the ACP countries, the EU's decision has taken account neither of the future impact of the CAP reform on the ACP countries' trade and development interests, nor of the duty for coherent EU policies - which is written into the Lisbon Treaty - even though these principles aiming to protect the EU's small and vulnerable trade partners are laid out in the Cotonou Agreement, in the economic and partnership agreements (EPA) and in the Everything But Arms initiative. The ACP countries also deplore the fact that the EU has not taken account of the fact that concessions granted by the EU to new preferential partners as part of the free-trade agreements will have the effect of creating more imbalance in the markets and increasing the erosion of ACP preferences.
The ACP trade ministers thus urge the EU to ensure the coherence of its development, agriculture and trade policies, and to guarantee that the development initiatives that the EU finances and the possibilities of market access that it offers ACP countries are not compromised by measures taken at domestic or international level - especially at the WTO. While it is difficult to predict the value of preferential access to the European sugar market in the wake of the abolition of the production quota system, it is, on the other hand, easy to predict the consequences of the loss of this access - the end of trade with the EU in the sugar sector - the ACP countries state.
While recognising that the accompanying measures support programme (AMSP) has helped the ACP countries restructure their sugar industries, the ACP ministers underlined that the results of the disbursement of the resources remain mixed - with very weak rates in some countries. They therefore call on the EU to make the remaining resources available so that they are not lost for the ACP. The ministers also stress the need to deepen discussions on the ways and means to develop and implement an integrated development programme for commodities as part of the next multiannual financial framework, to give this programme sufficient resources, and to ensure that it encourages the value of products and supports the formulation and implementation of diversification strategies. The ACP ministers renew their request to maintain support for ACP sugar research after the expiry of the current ACP sugar research and innovation programme with its €13 million budget in 2013. (AN/transl.fl)