“We also welcome the studies emphasis on the fact that we need to consider all causes, impacts and available options since in many cases it is not at all evident that a mirror measure would properly address the problem identified or achieve the desired objective. As regards sustainability objectives, for instance, the study recalls that a broad set of international tools exist and can be used, for example, cooperation to develop international standards or to achieve more convergence globally on sustainability issues, and that all these options, even though some of them are complex to put in place, deserve full consideration before turning to mirror measures as regards competitiveness objectives. The study points out that European agricultural producers can often be supported better, more directly and with fewer distortions through tailored measures such as the Cap instruments productivity support, improving farmers positions in the value chain and voluntary private sector initiatives. Importantly, the study underlined several times the need to respect WTO rules and to remain mindful of the impacts, especially on consumers and downstream industry. We also appreciated the fact that it drew attention to the fact that mirror clauses can generate important regulatory and enforcement costs, including cumulative costs, with other measures. All of these must be factored in into a thorough assessment. Finally, we fully share the conclusion that the international dialogue must remain the overarching principle Principal sustainability solutions require cooperation, they require consensus building, and they require a good understanding of partners, interests and national circumstances. This is essential not only for maintaining a rules based trading system, but also for ensuring real progress on the global sustainability challenges. Thanks a lot.”
Free trade agreements (FTAs) · Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
“Thanks very much, chair. And the Commission would also like to thank Professor Stoll and his colleagues for their work on the study. In our view, it significantly contributes to the understanding of the subject and provides very useful insights for our future reflections on this topic. Many of the recommendations in the study chime with the Commission's own views on this topic, so I will focus on highlighting some of those that we have found particularly valuable. First, the study highlights, for example, that multilateral solutions remain the first best option and stresses that given current challenges such as geopolitical tensions and volatility in global trade, the EU must prioritise cooperation, both multilateral and bilateral and transparent dialogue with trading partners, taking into account their interests and constraints. Second, the study rightly highlights in our view, that the concept of mirroring remains imprecise if it is understood as a blanket requirement for imports to comply with EU production standards, it risks contradicting both the rules and the spirit of the multilateral trading system. We also appreciated the study's thoughtful insights on the difficulty in designing and implementing mirror measures, and explaining how difficult they are to get right, and how they risk retaliation and trade tensions. The study also explains how they risk generating significant compliance costs and increased prices for consumers. This is why it recommends that decisions on whether EU production standards should should apply to imported goods must be carefully calibrated, grounded in evidence, and not made based on competitiveness considerations alone. Also, in line with the Commission's own position on this issue, the study highlights that such decisions should be made on a case by case basis, taking into account first the legal dimension, of course, but also the economic, practical and political consequences of such decisions. These include consideration of the realities, for example, in the EU's agricultural sectors, which, as the study has rightly reminded us, is deeply, deeply embedded in global markets, highly competitive from an export perspective, heavily reliant on imported inputs and sensitive to consumer price effects.”
Free trade agreements (FTAs) · Import of agri-food products in the EU