Given the market access offer put forward by the European Commission as part of the trade negotiations with Australia, around 10 EU agriculture ministers (for example, Ireland, Spain, Italy) are reported to have called at the ‘Agriculture’ Council on 30 May for a reduction in the level of ambition (tariff quotas, rates and transitional period) for sensitive products such as beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat, sugar, certain dairy products and rice.
In its offer, the EU provides for an import quota of 24,000 tonnes (t) of beef at reduced rates of customs duties over a period of 7 years, 20,000 t of sheepmeat, 8,000 t of skimmed milk powder and 5,000 t of butter, all at zero customs duty.
Some Member States (e.g. France, the Netherlands) have also expressed concern about the cumulative impact of market access concessions on sensitive agricultural products granted by the EU in the various trade agreements.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, has reportedly given assurances that these concerns will be taken into account in the final phase of negotiations. On 25 May, the Commission told European trade ministers that it wanted to conclude the trade negotiations during the first half of July, at the same time as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Australia (see EUROPE 13188/3). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)