“We have the most stringent phytosanitary rules in the world, but the strictest rules are only valid if we have enough controls.” During a meeting with Spanish journalists on November 4, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christoph Hansenuse these terms for definition … According to him, there is concern within the European Commission regarding the quality of control of agricultural food imports from third countries that is carried out at European customs.
In case there was any doubt that the message was intended for member states, given that it is the EU that sets the rules but the relevant national police forces that enforce them, Hansen added that he knows that inspections “in some ports” are not carried out with enough enthusiasm. “And I am a diplomat,” he said.
The irony of this slap on the wrist to the states is that it stems precisely from the Commission which has been at the heart of the communal farmers’ protests over its free trade policy – through tariff reductions or exemptions – and the unfair competition it entails for them. Although the European Union is already one of the most open economies in the world, with more than… Signing 40 agreements with more than 70 countriesThe executive authority headed by Ursula von der Leyen explained that its strategy includes continuing to open commercial spaces. There is the agreement with the Mercosur bloc countries, which they intend to ratify in the coming months, or the emerging entente with India.
“We have the most stringent phytosanitary rules in the world, but they are worthless if there is a lack of oversight.”
Christoph Hansen
European Commissioner for Agriculture
The reality is that every negotiation with third parties undertaken by Brussels has been arduous, the best example being the controversial Mercosur case, where twenty years of discussions had to pass – with several in Brussels – before the two parties could agree on a text. It still has to be ratified by the capitals, which may be difficult due to opposition from France. Specifically, in an attempt to secure Paris’s approval, the Commission added a last-minute change to the wording to ensure that safeguard clauses – banning imports when there is a fall in prices in Europe – were activated quickly. The aim is to avoid a repeat of what happened, for example, with the protection mechanism provided for in the agreement with Cambodia and Burma, which was so slow and cumbersome that it was unable to prevent the rice invasion that, as ABC has already shown, led to the flooding of the sector in Spain.
That’s why The Commission is proud that the agreement with Mercosur is qualitatively superior To the agreements signed so far, they contain a set of provisions, clauses and annexes to protect European farmers. But what is the point of imposing such precise standards if national authorities do not ensure that they are followed in ports?
Commissioner Hansen did not refer to any specific country, but the fact is that producers in Spain have been complaining for some time. A contradictory example of this is the Euro-Mediterranean agreement with Morocco, which stipulates that Rabat is able to export 285,000 tons of tomatoes annually to Europe duty-free, but on the condition that their price exceeds 46 cents per kilogram. As this newspaper has previously explained, institutions such as the Spanish Federation of Vegetable Producers Associations ensure that these quotas are not respected, and the evidence for this is that in many Spanish markets, Moroccan tomatoes are sold for less than 46 cents per kilo. According to the agricultural organization COAG, Morocco has stopped paying in the past five years 71.7 million euros to European Treasuries because of this fraud.
He says we have to monitor more and some ports don’t do that and “I’m speaking diplomatically.”
Christoph Hansen
European Commissioner for Agriculture
The other side of this problem is the importation of products that are illegal in Europe, either because of the way they are produced or because of the substances they contain. In a recent open letter, President Asaga, pedro barato, He gave as examples the case of sugar beets coming from Ukraine, which contain neonicotinoids – banned in the European Union – or Argentine beef, which should not enter Europe if it was produced using pesticides. Growth hormonesAnd enter. However, it must be remembered that European customs authorities only inspect 0.0082% of the quantities passing through their ports (Commission data), which, according to Asaja, explains this lack of control.
A new customs office to centralize EU police actions
Speaking to Spanish journalists, Hansen specifically referred to the situation of beef imports: “We have to be more effective.” Regarding Moroccan tomatoes, he confirmed this It has already received complaints in several countries. Whatever the case, what is clear is that Brussels wants to strengthen its border controls, perhaps because this might help soothe rural unease with its trade policy.
Within this strategy, there is a project to establish a European Union customs authority, a body that will centralize the management of border inspections, including the establishment of a European Union customs authority. Common platform Which will be used by police in all countries to exchange information. However, there are those in Brussels who believe that we should go further and create an entity to specifically supervise compliance with trade agreements, in terms of quantity and quality of imports. Carmen Crespo, a member of the European Parliament, a defender of this measure, calls it the “European Import Office.”
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