Brussels, 15/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - At a meeting of the trade experts of the member states of the EU on Friday 15 April, the Commission said that it was inclined to move forwards to the exchange of offers on market access scheduled for mid-May in the framework of free-trade negotiations between the EU and Mercosur. Despite the strong reservations of many member states, led by France and Ireland, the EU's draft offer provides for tariff quotas on sensitive products.
On Friday “the Commission noted broad support to move forwards”, a community source told us after a meeting of the committee responsible for trade policy at the Council of the EU. The Commission is considering proposing to include tariff quotas or sensitive agricultural products in the EU's offer “at an appropriate level”, stressing that the services of DG Trade have worked closely with those of DG Agriculture, our source told us.
The Commission also stressed to the member states the differences in the parameters between the draft concessions of the EU to be exchanged in May and those of 2004. Finally, it once again pledged an impact assessment for September, together with quotas granted by the EU in its trade negotiations.
Some of the 28 delegations, all of which took the floor on Friday, asked for more time to examine the draft offer, at which the Dutch Presidency, which seems keen to keep things under control, pointed out the member states had already had several opportunities to discuss the matter.
The Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, and the Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Rodolfo Nin Novoa, whose country currently holds the presidency of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Venezuela sitting these talks out), agreed on 8 April that the exchange of offers on market access (goods, services and public procurement) would take place in the second week of May.
Despite the strong reservations expressed by 13 member states (Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Slovenia), supported by others (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland and Slovakia) at the Agriculture Council of 11 April (see EUROPE 11530), the draft concessions of the EU proposed by the Commission laid down import tariff rate quotas for sensitive agricultural products.
The granting of these tariff quotas will be conditional upon the Mercosur countries granting a “satisfactory” regime for the EU's dairy products, wines and geographical indications. At stake are quotas of 78,000 tonnes of non-hormone beef meat (including 39,000 tonnes of high-quality beef), 78,000 tonnes of chicken and turkey, 3000 tonnes of high-quality pork and 9250 tonnes of lower-quality pork, 600,000 hL of ethanol, 20,000 tonnes of cheese, 700,000 tonnes of corn, 200,000 tonnes of wheat and 2000 tonnes of sheep meat. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)