Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-09-Speech-2-319"
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"en.20040309.12.2-319"2
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".
Mr President, Mr Howitt, ladies and gentlemen, in the Commission Communication of 29 September last year, we put forward three possible options, one of which is based on a quota system. As a thorough impact analysis has shown that implementing the ‘Everything But Arms’ agreement with the help of an ordered system of rights to supply the market would have a similar effect to what is being done already, we decided instead to consider the ‘fixed quotas’ option as a variant of the status quo, so all the options continue to be open to discussion.
I would also remind you, though, that the ‘Everything But Arms’ initiative is the part of the EC’s general preference system that envisages the complete liberalisation of sugar imports from the least developed countries by 2009. Until then, the sugar trade would normally continue on the same basis as trade in other agricultural produce. The least developed countries’
reference to flexibility in terms of quantity and negotiated quantitative restrictions could raise questions about compatibility with WTO rules if they were to be seen as a sort of voluntary limitation of exports. As you will be able to gather from what I have said, we really will not, in our deliberations, lose sight of the situation of the least developed countries, and will be taking it very seriously.
On 3 March, representatives and ministers from the least developed countries presented a new initiative in relation to our rules on the duty-free preferential access of their sugar to the Community market, and I discussed it with them. We will examine this proposal with great care, as we do all contributions to our preparations for the reform of the common market organisation for sugar. The initiative aims, over an extended period, to broaden the access that is at present limited. As we work on these proposals in preparation for their presentation this summer, we will take due account of all contributions received."@en1
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