specific tariffs - an approach which could be repeated and would thus further diminish the
relevance of the EU entry price system.3
In the light of the low effectiveness of the EU import regime for oranges along with high
transaction costs involved in its administration and further development, the unlimited and
free access of the MEDs to the EU orange market could be considered as an alternative. This
may be extended to grapes and possibly to other fruits and vegetables. In addition, the
abolition of the entry price system for some products would reduce the incidence of a clear
non tariff barrier to market access which has survived the Uruguay Round process of
tariffication, but which is in clear conflict at least with its spirit.
5 References
Chemnitz, C. and H. Grethe (2005). EU Trade Preferences for Moroccan Tomato Exports - Who Benefits? In
XIth Congress, European Association of Agricultural Economists, "The Future of Rural Europe in the
Global Agri-Food System", Copenhagen, 24-27 August 2005 (CD).
Cioffi, A. and dell’ Aquila, C. (2004). The effects of trade policies for fresh fruit and vegetables of the European
Union, Food Policy 29, pp.169-185.
European Commission (2005a). TARIC.
European Commission (2005b). Standard Import Values. Unpublished.
European Union (various issues). Official Journal of the European Communities.
Eurostat (various issues). External Trade Data.
FAO (2005). FAOSTAT, Agricultural data. http://www.fao.org, Accessed at 30.07.2005.
Grethe, H. (2005). EU Agricultural Trade Preferences for North Africa and the Near East and the EU Import
Regime for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables. Paper prepared for the FAO Regional Trade Workshop "Recent
Development in the WTO Negotiations on Agriculture and in Regional Trade Agreements and their
Implications for Trade, Agriculture and Food Security in the Near East Countries", Cairo 15th to 17th
November 2005.
Swinbank, A. and C. Ritson (1995). The impact of the GATT agreement on EU fruit and vegetable policy. Food
Policy, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 339-357.
Williams, H. (1986), Future Prospects of Cyprus Citrus Exports to the E.E.C., University of Newcastle upon
Tyne, Department of Agricultural Economics, Discussion Paper 16
3 See Grethe (2005: 28-29) for a preliminary assessment of the potential Doha outcome on the entry price level
for fruit and vegetables.
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