Dear Commissioner Malmström, The European Association of Sugar Manufacturers (CEFS) and the International Confederation of European Beet Growers (CIBE) would like to register our concern with the ongoing free trade negotiations with Australia. First, there is no material need to open up the EU market to Australian sugar imports. EU production combined with existing tariff [...]

CEFS-CIBE POSITION ON BREXIT EU beet sugar manufacturers, represented by CEFS, and sugar beet growers, represented by CIBE, regret the departure of the UK from the EU.[1] We remain convinced that the best option to avoid disruption of EU-UK trade and of the EU sugar market itself would be for the UK to remain in [...]

Representing European sugar manufacturers, sugar beet growers, and employees respectively, CEFS, CIBE and EFFAT are watching with concern the ongoing EU-Mercosur trade negotiations. We would like to recall the theme of the Commission’s current trade strategy, which is ‘trade for all’. We recognise the importance of opening overseas markets for EU products. But the EU’s [...]

CEFS, CIBE and EFFAT take note of the conclusion of the EU-Mexico negotiations, in particular the offer of a sugar import quota to Mexico of 30,000 tonnes of sugar at 49 EUR/tonne duty to be phased in over a period of three years. The unprecedented step the Commission has taken to introduce an in-quota duty [...]

CEFS, CIBE and EFFAT understand that in the context of the ongoing trade negotiations the European Commission has offered the Mercosur countries an annual tariff-rate quota of 100,000 tonnes of sugar at 98 EUR/tonne duty. This is a substantial quantity that is higher than the annual output of some factories. The Commission has so far [...]