The European High Level Group on Sugar, announced in November by European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, held its first meeting on Tuesday 29 January (see EUROPE 12170).
Representatives of the EU Member States were thus able to take stock of developments in their respective sectors since the end of production quotas on 30 September 2017. The participants, whose mission is to explore and evaluate possible responses to the concerns expressed, are scheduled to meet on March 19 and a third and final time before the summer.
The European Association of Sugar Manufacturers (CEFS) and the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), which call on the European Commission to implement market measures quickly, believe that the High Level Group should “propose concrete solutions for the long-term sustainability of the sector”. They ask to be admitted to the next meeting of this High Level Group on Sugar.
CEFS regrets, in a statement issued on 30 January, that no measures have been taken to “stabilise the EU sugar market”. Yet, the crisis is reported to have worsened: the price of white sugar in the EU averaged 320 euros per tonne in November 2018, unchanged compared to October. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)