On April 19, 2021, the Civil Dialogue Group on Sugar, which meets twice a year, discussed the commercial dimension of the Green Pact and the 'Farm to Table' Strategy. Earlier this year, CIBE (International Confederation of European Beet Growers), CEFS (Association of European Sugar Manufacturers), together with EFFAT (European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions) had the Opportunity to comment on the Communication from the EU Commission on the Trade Policy Review from 18 February 2021.

A level playing field, sustainable and fair trade, and compliance with free trade agreements is key for the EU sugar sector to remain competitive.

We welcome the Commission's new and clear strategy to restore the necessary level playing field, strengthen fair and sustainable trade, and vigorously and swiftly defend our interests when our partners break the rules. We urgently and quickly need appropriate countermeasures to deal with unfair competition from our business partners.

In January 2021, the Joint Research Center published an updated study on the cumulative impact of free trade agreements on EU agriculture. It concluded and confirmed that the EU sugar sector is one of the few sectors that has suffered negative consequences from existing EU trade agreements.

This trend must be stopped and reversed. Sugar beet farmers and sugar manufacturers are calling for concrete and immediate compliance measures and standards to avoid negative and irreparable consequences on working conditions, employment, the environment and economic sustainability.

When these conditions cannot be met, market access concessions should not be granted to third countries through preferential free trade agreements or unilateral trade concessions. CIBE and CEFS point out that the EU-Mercosur Agreement does not meet the above requirements with regard to sugar. Therefore, they continue to oppose this agreement.

The European Green Deal, and the Farm-to-Fork and Biodiversity Strategies, strive to further enhance the economic, environmental and social commitments of EU operators and demonstrate the pioneering role of the EU in mitigating change. climate. The objectives of these initiatives must be integrated into EU trade policy to ensure coherence and prevent international trade from undermining the achievements of the EU sugar sector in implementing sustainability objectives. Respect for labor rights, including fundamental ILO conventions, in line with EU standards must be an essential element of all current and future EU trade agreements.

Similarly, imports of poor means of production should not benefit from or receive preferential access to the EU market.

CIBE and CEFS strongly support the firmness and rapid reaction of the EU in the international arena to stop illegal export subsidies that distort the market in India or the breach of obligations in trade agreements such as the EU-Egypt or EU-Canada agreements .

We support the coercive legal actions requested last week in the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament by many MEPs to achieve compliance with negotiated agreements or rules-based international trade.