Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has defended the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) against concerns that it will harm the EU sugar sector, arguing that the deal opens only a limited tariff rate quota of 35,000 tonnes of raw sugar cane for refining – less than 0.3% of EU sugar consumption – and includes robust safeguard mechanisms.
Responding to a parliamentary question from MEPs Anne-Sophie Frigout (PfE) and others, Šefčovič rejected claims that the Commission lacks transparency, noting that negotiations were conducted with publicly available text proposals and regular exchanges with the Council, Parliament, and stakeholders including sugar industry representatives.
Commission blames domestic overproduction, not imports Šefčovič attributed the decline of the EU sugar market primarily to high domestic production, while imports have dropped drastically. He pointed to recent EU actions to protect the sector: reinstating import quotas for Ukrainian sugar in 2025 under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, and suspending General Scheme of Preference Plus preferences for Pakistani ethanol. The Mercosur agreement, he added, offers only limited sugar concessions subject to strict safeguards and is not yet applied.
Tiny quota and double safeguard layers Under the EU-Australia FTA, the 35,000-tonne quota is subject to sustainability conditionalities. Šefčovič stressed that the EU can impose safeguard measures if a surge in Australian agri-food imports causes or threatens serious injury to EU industry. A bilateral safeguard mechanism, operationalised via a self-standing EU regulation, will ensure swift and effective protections against unforeseen and harmful import surges or undue price decreases for EU producers.
Political context and expected follow-up The answer comes amid ongoing criticism from some MEPs and farming groups who fear cumulative liberalisation from multiple trade deals. The Commission's stance signals a firm commitment to the FTA while attempting to reassure the sugar sector. No further legislative action is announced; the safeguards will be detailed in the implementing regulation. The agreement is expected to be submitted for Council and Parliament approval in due course.
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