The experts of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) were divided on Monday 14 February on the usefulness of applying certain European standards to imported products (mirror clauses).
Some delegations, such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium, have doubts as to whether mirror clauses are the best tools to achieve the objectives.
On the contrary, Slovakia, Poland and Austria, for example, may support such clauses.
The issue of reciprocity is a priority for the French Presidency of the EU Council, which has scheduled a debate on the subject at the Agriculture Council on Monday 21 February.
At the SCA, Member State experts discussed a French Presidency document on how to strengthen coherence between the EU Green Deal, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and trade policy (see EUROPE 12887/5).
The document states that in order to ensure that agricultural and food products placed on the EU market guarantee the same level of health and environmental protection for European consumers, a number of levers can be identified, such as: - reviewing maximum residue levels (MRLs) and import tolerances for plant protection products; - applying certain European standards to imported products (mirror clauses).
The debate in the SCA showed that, for several delegations, the objectives of the Green Deal and the CAP should be taken into account in trade agreements with third countries, to improve animal welfare and environmental standards outside the EU and to reduce unfair competition for EU farmers. Several countries felt that the EU should avoid a situation where food production and pollution are ‘outsourced’ to third countries with lower standards.
Delegations insisted that any changes to EU trade policy must be in line with WTO rules and avoid jeopardising trade relations. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)