Figure 5: SIV, MFN and preferential EP of MED’s exports of mandarins to the EU,
December 1, 1995-May 31, 2005
Sources: European Commission (2005a, 2005b).
In summary, the EU import price for oranges is substantially higher than the EU MFN entry
price, amounting 40% on average. This relationship is even more pronounced for EU imports
of table grapes from MED. Also, specific tariffs are almost not at all levied for Israeli,
Moroccan and Cypriot oranges. The SIV was below the applied entry price most often for
Turkish produce, followed by Egyptian and Tunisian produce. Further, the preferred trading
partners do utilize the preferential entry price at a low degree. Israel, Morocco and Cyprus do
not at all and Egypt does profit to some degree from the preferential entry price. For table
grapes, the difference of the SIV of the MED’s exports amounts about 100% on average. For
mandarins, the MFN entry price is undercut by Turkey, Egypt and Morocco on a large scale.
Morocco utilizes the preferential entry price for mandarins as well as tomatoes to a great
extent.
Thus, the EU entry price system for oranges and grapes is by and large redundant for MED’s
exports. For mandarins and tomatoes, however, import prices are much closer to entry prices
and the entry price system seems to have an import restricting effect.
3.2 Development of the quota filling rate
The utilization of the preferential quotas for oranges is investigated by comparing the
development of the orange exports to the evolution of the total orange quota, comprising TRQ
and EPQ.
Figure 6 depicts orange exports to the EU and the total orange quota for each orange
exporting MED except Turkey, which is not warranted an orange quota by the EU, for the
period starting 1991, when TRQs for oranges were first introduced, until 2004.
It becomes evident that for Israel, Cyprus and Tunisia, the total quota far exceeds the orange
exports during the whole time period. For Morocco, the orange quota exceeds orange exports
since 1993. For Egypt, the orange exports excel the quota from 1991 to 1996 and again
recently since 2002. For the MED as a whole, orange exports decreased since 1991, although
the quota increased concurrently.
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