Copa and Cogeca welcome the conclusion of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement as a significant and carefully balanced step forward for agri-food trade. The agreement strengthens access to a key growth market while clearly recognising the need to protect the most sensitive sectors of European agriculture and its production model.
India represents a market of 1.45 billion consumers with considerable untapped potential for EU agri-food exports. By substantially reducing or eliminating previously prohibitive tariffs on a targeted range of products- including processed foods, olive oil, fruit juices, wine and spirits, the agreement creates meaningful new export opportunities for competitive EU farmers and agri-cooperatives.
Importantly, Copa and Cogeca acknowledge the Commission’s efforts to ensure that market opening does not come at the expense of agricultural resilience. The exclusion of the most sensitive products from liberalisation, including beef, sugar, rice, poultry and honey, demonstrates a pragmatic and responsible approach.
Copa and Cogeca also underline the importance of safeguarding strong food safety and production standards and further strengthening collaboration on sanitary and phytosanitary matters as well as on sustainable food systems, under the SPS and SFS chapters that this agreement features. In this context, the effective implementation of the agreement must guarantee reciprocity of production standards for agri-food products placed on the EU market, to ensure fair competition for EU farmers and maintain consumer confidence.
The on-going negotiations on Geographical Indications Agreement, should swiftly further reinforce the outcome of this agreement, by supporting our value-added agricultural products and protecting Europe’s quality schemes in the Indian market.
In a challenging global trade environment, the EU–India agreement shows that ambitious trade policy can be compatible with the protection of key agricultural sensitivities. Copa and Cogeca will remain closely engaged, awaiting the publishing of the agreement texts, and further moves towards ratification and implementation, to ensure that opportunities are realised, while the interests of EU farmers and cooperatives remain fully safeguarded.
Fonte: Copa Cogeca
