Brussels, 01/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - The United States and the European Union on Monday reached an agreement on access to the EU market for American brown rice, the day before the deadline of 1 March set by Washington when, in the absence of agreement, customs tariffs on certain European products were to be increased (EUROPE, 1 February 2005, p.12). For the Americans, this arrangement will allow an extension of markets for American rice exporters. The agreement, which was reached in extremis after several months of fierce discussion, sets up a tariff adjustment mechanism that Washington says “will ease trade”. The mechanism provides for automatic adjustments of customs tariffs according to the volumes imported in specific reference periods. In practice, customs duties applied to imports of American brown rice can be EUR 65 per tonne (when imports rise strongly), EUR 42.5 per tonne or EUR 30 per tonne. The difference of opinion between EU and US had deepened after the EU changed its rice import system with effect from 1 September 2004. According to Washington, the EU had increased customs duties on whole rice imports beyond WTO levels. “This agreement will allow us to keep our rice market in balance whilst leaving our markets open to imports of rice from all countries”, said Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fischer Boel.