Trade officials said that more than 20 countries had objected to proposals put forward by Brussels and London over how to split up the tariff-rate quotas, which define the volume of sensitive goods such as meat and cheeses that other World Trade Organization members can export to Europe.
The concerns were raised at a meeting on Monday at the WTO in Geneva, with several countries warning the plans would be unfair on their companies and farmers.
The EU and the UK have worked closely on the proposals on how to share out the tariff-rate quotas, which are hugely valuable to countries such as Argentina and New Zealand, which depend heavily on agricultural exports, as well as to the powerful farm lobby in the US.
The issue is highly important for Brussels and London, since the talks will affect how much competition UK and EU farmers face. Failure to find a solution at the WTO could also lead to legal challenges.
The dispute is one of several disagreements snarling up the UK’s efforts to detach itself from the EU at the WTO, with negotiations also proceeding slowly on the general market access the UK will give other WTO members, and on the UK’s membership of an international pact on public procurement. [...]
Full article on Financial Times (subscription required)
© Financial Times
Key
Hover over the blue highlighted
text to view the acronym meaning
Hover
over these icons for more information
Comments:
No Comments for this Article