On Thursday 24 April, Cédric Benoist, who chairs the ‘cereals’ working group within Copa-Cogeca (the EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives), called for the restoration of tariff quotas for common wheat and barley in trade with Ukraine to levels similar to those in force before the war launched by Russia.
According to Mr Benoist, the EU market is facing a surplus of “at least 5 million tonnes of common wheat”, with a similar imbalance for barley, leading to a fall in prices.
When the current framework of autonomous trade measures was introduced, common wheat and barley were excluded from the safeguard mechanism (see EUROPE 13603/9). “I cannot accept that common wheat and barley may once again be excluded from protection in the revised Association Agreement with Ukraine. And I cannot accept that EU institutions continue to ignore basic economic realities”, insists Mr Benoist. He is calling on the European Commission to act quickly to protect the EU cereals sector “before it is too late”, by reinstating these tariff quotas. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)