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EU trading standards: abolitions rise concern
Belgium
Monday 19 May 2008
Italy and Spain, supported by France and Hungary, today in Brussels will bring to the attention of the EU Agriculture minister’s Council the European Commission’s attempt to abolish the system of trading standards of fresh produce, reducing from 36 to 10 the existing ones. Such criteria concretely describe the quality, size, weight and origin of fruit and vegetables, granting transparency to the exchanges and the consumers’ safety even for what concerns imports and exports.
In June 2007 the 27 Member States reached an agreement on the Common Market Organization’s reform. Since then the service offices of the European Commission and each Member State are considering a regulation as to put technically into operation the agreement. The EU Executive suggested to the workgroups, studying how to implement the reform, that the fresh produce trading standards should be reduced to 10. Furthermore, even for these 10 criteria the EC proposes that operators could have the possibility to sell the products with no classification, on the condition that this is clearly declared on the label.
The note diffused together by Italy and Spain asserts that this approach is against the political agreement on the reform reached in June 2007. In addition to that, the two Countries highlights that the abolition of the existing standard system could cause eradication of important instruments both on the commercial side and for what affects consumers’ protection.
In June 2007 the 27 Member States reached an agreement on the Common Market Organization’s reform. Since then the service offices of the European Commission and each Member State are considering a regulation as to put technically into operation the agreement. The EU Executive suggested to the workgroups, studying how to implement the reform, that the fresh produce trading standards should be reduced to 10. Furthermore, even for these 10 criteria the EC proposes that operators could have the possibility to sell the products with no classification, on the condition that this is clearly declared on the label.
The note diffused together by Italy and Spain asserts that this approach is against the political agreement on the reform reached in June 2007. In addition to that, the two Countries highlights that the abolition of the existing standard system could cause eradication of important instruments both on the commercial side and for what affects consumers’ protection.
