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A. Zezza, F. De Maria, M. R. Pupo D’Andrea, J. Swinnen, G. POLICY DEPARTMENT
Meloni, S. Vandevelde, A. Olper, D. Curzi, V. Raimondi, S. STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES
Droguè
Agricultural trade:
assessing reciprocity of
standards
The full study is available here:
http://bit.ly/2KngqhY

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L009141
IIP/B/AGRI/2017-097
an assessment of the application of
PE 617.477 February 2018
the reciprocity principle in EU
agri-food trade at global level

A study commissioned by the Committee

for Agriculture and Rural Development
 MAIN
CONCLUSIONS
• Significant progress was made on some
aspects of harmonization of sanitary
and phytosanitary standards.
• More than half of specific trade
concerns were solved in a reasonable
time but several problems remain.
• But there is no agreement on the
scientific evidence of potential impacts
and the process to deal with risk in the
areas of plant health, animal health and
food safety such as citrus black spot,
GMOs, hormones in beef, antibiotics
use in animal production.
• Greater efforts are needed in scientific
cooperation, collaboration between risk
assessment bodies, harmonization of
official controls, improved traceability
and and improvement of early warning
systems for emerging hazards.
• Modernization of the Codex
Alimentarius is needed through a
harmonization in methodologies and
data.
ABSTRACT FOCUS ON
The EU is the world’s biggest trading bloc The study provides qualitative and
and has the largest numbers of Free quantitative assessments on the
Trade Agreements (FTAs) in the world. In application of the reciprocity principle
its approach to standards in new trade of standards in the EU agri-food trade
agreements, the EU has tried to achieve and inform of any potential threats to
two objectives. On the one hand it both competition and consumer
follows European trade policy wants to protection from an unequal application
contribute to the liberalization of world of the food production standards. One
trade by lowering customs and trade of the most important issue is the
barriers . On the other hand it wants to application of the reciprocity principle
guarantee European consumers in food standards to food safety, animal
standards regarding food safety, animal and plant health, animal welfare and
welfare, environmental protection and environment protection.
minimum social standards – and thus to
prevent a race-to-the-bottom on
standards Comments on this study are welcome at:
poldep-cohesion@europarl.europa.eu
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The full study is available here:
http://bit.ly/2KngqhY