Effects of EU expansion limited to certain product categories

A report by Germany's Central Market and Price Reporting Office (ZMP) indicates that EU expansion has had a limited impact on fresh produce trade. In those areas where the New Member States (NMS) enjoy production advantages they were able to expand their cultivation significantly, by 50 per cent in the case of apples, and 100 per cent for cherries. EU imports of apples from the NMS have more than trebled, but the amounts of all the other kinds of fruit imported only increased marginally or even declined (water melons, plums). Among the EU 15 suppliers, those from the Mediterranean area in particular benefited from the expansion of the EU and were able to substantially increase exports to the NMS of citrus fruits, peaches, kiwis, bananas and water melons. Whereas the fruit grown in the EU 15 is largely sold on the fresh produce market, in the NMS it is still mainly intended for processing.