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EU sugar export quotas need to be increased, Labus says
Belgrade,
27 October 2004
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus said last night that the European Commission (EC) set a 150,000 tonne limit for sugar exported from Serbia-Montenegro under preferential treatment.
Miroljub Labus
Labus told Beta news agency that the export quota should be at least 200,000 tonnes and announced that he will discuss this issue with the new European Union (EU) commissioners next month.
The EC stated yesterday that EU’s current trade arrangements with the Western Balkans has led to a significant increase in EU sugar imports. The EC therefore proposed to introduce tariff rate quotas per country for imports from the Western Balkans, limiting Serbia-Montenegro to 150,000 tonnes of sugar.
Labus commented that the countries of the Western Balkans are not treated equally, as they do not have equal relations with the EU. He said that this is the signal for Serbia-Montenegro to start creating conditions in order to conclude a stabilisation and association agreement next year, with the view of getting more favourable treatment.
The proposed import regime covers other Western Balkan countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina (limited to 12,000 tonnes) and Albania (1,000 tonnes), which benefit from autonomous trade measures, as well as Croatia and Macedonia, with which the EU has concluded stabilisation and association agreements.
The EC explained this action noting the significant increases in EU sugar imports from the Western Balkans, which rose from virtually zero in 1999 to over 270,000 tonnes in 2003, or by 95 percent.
The EC stated yesterday that EU’s current trade arrangements with the Western Balkans has led to a significant increase in EU sugar imports. The EC therefore proposed to introduce tariff rate quotas per country for imports from the Western Balkans, limiting Serbia-Montenegro to 150,000 tonnes of sugar.
Labus commented that the countries of the Western Balkans are not treated equally, as they do not have equal relations with the EU. He said that this is the signal for Serbia-Montenegro to start creating conditions in order to conclude a stabilisation and association agreement next year, with the view of getting more favourable treatment.
The proposed import regime covers other Western Balkan countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina (limited to 12,000 tonnes) and Albania (1,000 tonnes), which benefit from autonomous trade measures, as well as Croatia and Macedonia, with which the EU has concluded stabilisation and association agreements.
The EC explained this action noting the significant increases in EU sugar imports from the Western Balkans, which rose from virtually zero in 1999 to over 270,000 tonnes in 2003, or by 95 percent.
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