Brussels, 13/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - Despite calls from the agriculture sector to increase support for fruit and vegetable producers hit by the Russian embargo, the European Commission believes that it has taken the most effective measures possible within available financial resources.
In a letter dated 3 February, Jerzy Plewa, director general for agriculture at the European Commission, rejects taking any fresh measures to offer aid to the EU fruit and vegetable sector that has been affected by the Russian ban on the import of European agricultural goods. Plewa estimates that the quantities - defined as part of the six-month extension of the measures for the fruit and vegetable sector - of products that can be withdrawn from the market in the first half of this year are already “considerable” (320,000 tonnes in total, including 203,000 tonnes of apples and 92,600 tonnes of vegetables). He was responding to a letter sent by Copa-Cogeca (EU agricultural organisations and cooperatives) on 23 January calling for further measures for the fruit and vegetable sector. These included: - the addition of maximum quantities for citrus fruits and Spanish and Italian apples the quotas for which had been used up; - an envelope of 5,000 tonnes per member state for a list of eligible products determined by the countries themselves in accordance with their market situation; - updating of compensatory payments taking account of production, storage and withdrawal costs.
Indirect impact
Copa-Cogeca argued, too, that the economic crisis and the collapse of the rouble was hitting third countries' exports to Russia and these countries were therefore looking to the EU market. This said, Copa-Cogeca justified keeping the exceptional measures in place beyond the embargo. However, in his response, Plewa said that, although the export information the Commission has does not allow re-exports to be taken into consideration, the method used ensures a certain level of proportionality with each member state's production/exports. He said the Commission had acted quickly to support the sector with the introduction of the most effective measures possible in the current financial situation.
Six countries unhappy.
The issue was discussed by the experts on the Special Committee on Agriculture on Monday 9 February. Some countries (Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia) were of the view that the quantities laid out in the new Commission regulation (delegated regulation on extending the measures for the fruit and vegetable sector) failed to take account of the reality in the countries affected. Slovakia, Hungary and Romania regretted, too, that the “secondary” effects of the Russian embargo were not being taken into account: fruit and vegetables that could not be sold in Russia were being re-directed to other destinations in the EU, destabilising national markets. (Lionel Changeur)