Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-13-Speech-2-668-000"
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"en.20120313.27.2-668-000"2
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"Mr President, first of all, I should particularly like to thank the rapporteur, Ms Quisthoudt-Rowohl, and all of the members of the Parliamentary Committee on International Trade for their work and their commitment to achieving this agreement at first reading, as Ms Quisthoudt-Rowohl mentioned.
The proposal to increase the tariff-rate quota for ‘hormone-free beef’ is included in the Memoranda of Understanding signed with the United States in 2009 and with Canada in 2011. By creating reciprocal opportunities in the market on both sides of the Atlantic, these memoranda are a crucial step in bringing an end to a dispute that has lasted for a decade. The United States has got rid of the sanctions affecting some European Union products, whilst the European Union has offered significant access to its market for hormone-free beef.
I am pleased to note that Ms Quisthoudt-Rowohl and the Committee on International Trade fully support this agreement. Phase II of the memoranda are scheduled to come into force on 1 August 2012. I hope that this will lead to the dispute over hormone-treated beef being resolved once and for all at the World Trade Organisation.
I am very aware of the fact that exports of European veal and beef to the United States are still blocked due to US restrictions related to BSE, as Ms Quisthoudt-Rowohl mentioned. As you know, these restrictions are not in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) rules, which specify that trade in beef must be authorised between countries in the same risk category, as is the case here. The European Union and the United States are in the same World Organisation for Animal Health risk category, in other words, the controlled risk category.
I have met Mr Vilsack and we had the opportunity to speak about these matters. Very recently, in Nuremberg in February, I met Mr Vilsack’s assistant at the US Department of Agriculture, to announce the mutual recognition of the rules on organic agriculture. On that occasion, I once again asked the US administration to do everything it can to make progress on the BSE issue as soon as possible.
As has been mentioned today, we see that draft standards on this issue were published by the Federal Register on 9 March. This publication marks the start of a consultation period with the interested parties and, therefore, also opens the way to clarify this issue which should also be, as I have said, in accordance with international rules and standards.
I hope that we will manage to conclude this issue quickly and ensure that beef producers on both sides of the Atlantic can enjoy specific access to the market.
I once again thank the Committee on International Trade, the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the European Parliament as a whole for having very quickly and effectively supported this draft regulation."@en1
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