Study confirms importance of non-tariff trade measures to EU agriculture
Summary:
While an study of future trade agreements with the EU’s major agro-food sector trade partners validate the EU’s continued use of non-tariff trade policy measures to protect EU agriculture, EU EPAs are requiring ACP governments to abandon the ue of such policy tools. This raises important issues of EU policy coherence. Read more “‘Do what we say, not what we do’”
Summary:
While the immediate concern is to preserve current ACP preferences, in the longer term serious preference erosion challenges will be faced. Where the UK has no agricultural production interests (e.g. bananas and citrus) there will be little incentive to maintain EU tariffs. However for five years tariff preferences may remain given the complexity of some trade negotiations. The UK’s future agricultural policy will also affect ACP preferences, notably: whether the UK retains EU CAP-related special agricultural levies. Read more “What Value Future Preferential Access to the UK Market”
Summary
The duty free access enjoyed for exports to and imports from the UK under the various EPAs will lapse once the UK leaves the EU. The countries most dependent on the UK market it is vital current market access arrangements are not disrupted. More generally sectors dominated by smallholder producers exporting undifferentiated bulk commodities on the basis of traditional high levels of tariff preferences are likely to be most severely affected by a loss of preferential access to the UK market. Initiatives are urgently needed to ensure a continuation of current preferential access to the UK market. Longer term issues of preference erosion on the UK market will also need to be addressed. Read more “What BREXIT Means for the UK-ACP Trading Relationship?”
Summary
The structure of EU demand and the EU’s tightly ‘managed’ poultry sector trade regime are major factors driving EU exports of frozen poultry parts to Africa. Important ‘pull’ factors include growing African demand for low cost protein and the poultry sector trade policies pursued by African governments. EPA commitments could bring into question the current use of trade policy tools in support of local poultry sector development in Africa. Read more “What drives EU poultry meat exports to sub-Saharan Africa?”