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Contributions from
the Column
Facts and trends
Results of renewables 2004
The security threat of climate change
Growth engine micro finance
G7 split on debt relief
Kenya: accusations of corruption
USA authorises generic AIDS drugs
GDI course for university graduates
Arab Human Development Report
ACP countries and EU sugar-regime reform
03/2005
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ACP countries and the EU sugar regime reform
The ACP (African, Caribbean, Pacific) countries are concerned about the planned reform of the EU sugar regime. At a meeting of ACP ministers with members of the EU commission in Brussels in late January, the Minister of Agriculture from Mauritius, Nandcomar Bodha, said the planned reform, with the targeted price reduction of 37 percent, would mean the ACP countries would suffer losses of up to 255 million Euros per annum. The EU is granting 19 ACP countries preferential access to the European market and imported ACP sugar is sold at the same subsidised prices as European sugar. At the meeting, EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel proposed a three-year transition period and financial support for the affected countries. Bodha described this as inadequate; according to him, the countries need more than three years to turn around their economies. Currently, some 70 percent of the ACP sugar industry revenue is generated from the EU preferences. However, only four countries account for 80 percent of the total amount. The development charity Oxfam criticises the EU aid offer as being merely a declaration of intent. It contains no details on when the EU wants to provide how much money and where it should be utilised. The EU Commissioners for Development, Trade and Agriculture are currently in negotiations on who’s budget will provide support to the ACP. (ell)
Further information:
http://www.acpsugar.org
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