BRUSSELS, Feb 28 (Hina) - The European Commission's agriculture and fishery commissioner, Franz Fischler, said in Brussels on Friday the European Union understood the problems Croatian cheese producers were experiencing due to a huge
increase in subsidised cheese imports from the EU.
BRUSSELS, Feb 28 (Hina) - The European Commission's agriculture and
fishery commissioner, Franz Fischler, said in Brussels on Friday
the European Union understood the problems Croatian cheese
producers were experiencing due to a huge increase in subsidised
cheese imports from the EU. #L#
The EU has no intention of flooding the Croatian market, but wants
to establish trade to mutual interest and benefit, Fischler said
after talks with Croatian Agriculture and Forestry Minister
Bozidar Pankretic.
The talks between the two officials focused on cheese, sugar and
fishery.
Since the signing of a provisional agreement with the EU, which
enables the implementation of trade-related regulations from the
Croatia-EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) until the
SAA goes into force, Croatia has seen a huge increase in cheese
imports from the EU, which has posed a serious threat to domestic
producers and increased stocks by 40%.
In 2000, Croatia imported 4,250 tonnes of cheese from the EU, 7,130
tonnes in 2001, and last year as much as 9,750 tonnes. Gouda cheese
makes up for 70% of the imports.
European producers have low prices thanks to subsidies for cheese
exports intended for the markets of five south-east European
countries included in the Stabilisation and Association Process -
Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. The
incentives amount to 974 euros per 100 tonnes of cheese.
Pankretic said that Fischler had supported a proposal that Gouda
producers be stripped of incentives with regard to exports to
Croatia. However, it was agreed that problems should not be solved
individually but in a package. Pankretic said that Croatian and EU
experts would meet soon to discuss proposals for solving problems
in trade relations.
Fischler voiced satisfaction with the results of inspections in
Croatian sugar factories.
Due to a huge increase in Croatian sugar exports to the EU, Croatian
producers were last year accused in Brussels of exporting imported
European sugar. After that, control measures were introduced in
Croatian factories, but the accusations were never proved. Despite
this, some EU countries introduced deposits for sugar imports from
Croatia. Pankretic said the deposits might be revoked soon.
(hina) rml