11/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - In the framework of the EU/ACP conference in Kenya on 2 October, an agreement has been provisionally signed between the European Commission and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) and India on the price that the Community will pay for sugar imports from these countries. The agreement covers the period from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002 and stipulates that the Community will buy and import at guaranteed prices cane sugar that the exporting countries cannot sell in the EU at similar or higher prices to the guaranteed prices. The prices that have been agreed are EUR 52.3/100 kg for raw sugar and EUR 64.65/100 kg for white sugar. The European Commission believes the agreement will not have any financial impact on top of what has already been forecast in the 2001 budget (EUR 605 million). The measure comes under Protocol 3 of the Lomé IV Convention. The Agriculture Council is expected to endorse the agreement at its 23 October meeting.