21/05/2013
July 2012
Editorial, Jean-Luc Demarty, Director General DG Trade
More trade means more economic growth and jobs. More than 36 million jobs in Europe depend directly or indirectly on our ability to trade with the rest of the world. Europe has become deeply integrated into global markets. This is also true for the EU Agri-food sector, for which exports are increasingly important part of their business. EU exports of agricultural and foodstuffs reached over € 105 billion in 2011, making the EU the largest exporter worldwide. As this sector is the largest employer in the EU, keeping export markets open, and creating fresh opportunities is of central importance.
As tariffs go down, non-tariff barriers remain our biggest concern, and among them restrictions created by unnecessary and overly burdensome SPS measures.These measures frequently close-off trade and costs to trade quickly becomes prohibitive, making SPS the central area for a determined market access drive by European Commission...Read more
WTO SPS activities
The last SPS Committee took place on 27-28 March 2012. The SPS Committee gives the opportunity to WTO Members to express concerns on SPS trade problems faced with other WTO Members and to explain and defend their position in relation to domestic regulation and imports. ...Read more
80th OIE General Session in Paris
Regarding the annual revision of the official health status for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Austria and Belgium have now been classified with negligible risk status. On Schmallenberg virus, the general tone of the presentations supported the EU position considering that OIE Members should not impose trade restrictive measures on affected countries...Read more
SPS Market Access Working Group meeting
The May 2012 meeting in Brussels focussed in particular SPS market access issues related to exports of India, South Korea, Golf Cooperation Council and Ukraine. The Commission will continue working with EU Member States and business to gather as much information possible on these topics, to better understand, prioritise and tackle them efficiently...Read more
Export of plants and plant products..Read more
Regionalisation seminar in Tokyo
The EU Commission and Member States had a regionalisation seminar with Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in March 2012...Read more
Taiwan
Taiwan has announced that it will change its requirements for pet food which creates new possibilities for the EU businesses with regard to pet food exports to Taiwan..Read more
Australia
Food Safety Austraia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved on 2 May 2012 a proposal recommending permission to be given for the sale in Australia of raw milk hard cheeses. ..Read more
Ukraine
Veterinary and food legislation in the process of revision..Read more
Uruguay
SPS Technical meeting with Uruguay on 19 March 2012..Read more
More trade means more economic growth and jobs. More than 36 million jobs in Europe depend directly or indirectly on our ability to trade with the rest of the world. Europe has become deeply integrated into global markets. This is also true for the EU Agri-food sector, for which exports are increasingly important part of their business. EU exports of agricultural and foodstuffs reached over € 105 billion in 2011, making the EU the largest exporter worldwide. As this sector is the largest employer in the EU, keeping export markets open, and creating fresh opportunities is of central importance.
As tariffs go down, non-tariff barriers remain our biggest concern, and among them restrictions created by unnecessary and overly burdensome SPS measures.These measures frequently close-off trade and costs to trade quickly becomes prohibitive, making SPS the central area for a determined market access drive by European Commission...Read more
WTO SPS activities
The last SPS Committee took place on 27-28 March 2012. The SPS Committee gives the opportunity to WTO Members to express concerns on SPS trade problems faced with other WTO Members and to explain and defend their position in relation to domestic regulation and imports. ...Read more
80th OIE General Session in Paris
Regarding the annual revision of the official health status for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Austria and Belgium have now been classified with negligible risk status. On Schmallenberg virus, the general tone of the presentations supported the EU position considering that OIE Members should not impose trade restrictive measures on affected countries...Read more
SPS Market Access Working Group meeting
The May 2012 meeting in Brussels focussed in particular SPS market access issues related to exports of India, South Korea, Golf Cooperation Council and Ukraine. The Commission will continue working with EU Member States and business to gather as much information possible on these topics, to better understand, prioritise and tackle them efficiently...Read more
Export of plants and plant products..Read more
Regionalisation seminar in Tokyo
The EU Commission and Member States had a regionalisation seminar with Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in March 2012...Read more
Taiwan
Taiwan has announced that it will change its requirements for pet food which creates new possibilities for the EU businesses with regard to pet food exports to Taiwan..Read more
Australia
Food Safety Austraia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved on 2 May 2012 a proposal recommending permission to be given for the sale in Australia of raw milk hard cheeses. ..Read more
Ukraine
Veterinary and food legislation in the process of revision..Read more
Uruguay
SPS Technical meeting with Uruguay on 19 March 2012..Read more