European sugar growers fear sugar, ethanol in TTIP
August 13, 2014 | 12:46 PM
STOWE, Vt. — European sugar growers, manufacturers and refiners fear there could be sugar imports from the combined U.S.-Mexican market if sugar is brought up in the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, and also don’t want ethanol to be brought up, a key European sugar executive said here last week during a trade discussion at the American Sugar Alliance International Sweetener Symposium.
Marie-Christine Ribera
Marie-Christine Ribera, director general of the European Sugar Manufacturers Association, noted that sugar growers in the European Union have already experienced substantial market liberalization and seen consolidation and lower prices. The European countries already import substantial amounts of sugar from their former colonies and the poorest countries in the world and the market cannot absorb further imports, she said.
If TTIP were to include sugar, the agreement “would open the EU market to sugar swaps under NAFTA,” Ribera said. In addition, she said, it is still unknown how sugar will be treated in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. Ribera also said her group does not want more access for ethanol and wants maintenance of strict rules of origin for sugar.
“Sugar and high-sugar-content products are not ripe for negotiations,” she summarized.
Don Phillips, trade adviser to the American Sugar Alliance, said that ASA and CEFS, the French acronym for the European group “take the position that, given their market situations (large net importers, already extensive market access commitments on sugar undertaken in various trade agreements), it makes no sense to negotiate additional market access commitments in TTIP. Therefore, sugar should be left out of these negotiations.”
But he added “ethanol access is a concern of theirs, not ours.”
Phillips added that “at this point in the negotiations” sugar is not “a live issue as the market access talks have not advanced very far; certainly, not to the point where they are seriously discussing sensitive products.”
Phillips also said that to his knowledge, neither U.S. nor European negotiators “have responded specifically to these positions.”
Marie-Christine Ribera, director general of the European Sugar Manufacturers Association, noted that sugar growers in the European Union have already experienced substantial market liberalization and seen consolidation and lower prices. The European countries already import substantial amounts of sugar from their former colonies and the poorest countries in the world and the market cannot absorb further imports, she said.
If TTIP were to include sugar, the agreement “would open the EU market to sugar swaps under NAFTA,” Ribera said. In addition, she said, it is still unknown how sugar will be treated in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. Ribera also said her group does not want more access for ethanol and wants maintenance of strict rules of origin for sugar.
“Sugar and high-sugar-content products are not ripe for negotiations,” she summarized.
Don Phillips, trade adviser to the American Sugar Alliance, said that ASA and CEFS, the French acronym for the European group “take the position that, given their market situations (large net importers, already extensive market access commitments on sugar undertaken in various trade agreements), it makes no sense to negotiate additional market access commitments in TTIP. Therefore, sugar should be left out of these negotiations.”
But he added “ethanol access is a concern of theirs, not ours.”
Phillips added that “at this point in the negotiations” sugar is not “a live issue as the market access talks have not advanced very far; certainly, not to the point where they are seriously discussing sensitive products.”
Phillips also said that to his knowledge, neither U.S. nor European negotiators “have responded specifically to these positions.”
