The quotas on the export of Moldovan fruit and vegetables to the EU are to be doubled before the signing of the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU. The EU member states will pronounce on this next week, following a relevant proposal submitted by the European Commission. European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Cioloş informed about this in a meeting with Moldovan agricultural producers, IPN reports.
The Commissioner said that Prime Minister Iurie Leanca a month and a half ago sent a letter to the European Commission, informing that the Moldovan authorities are concerned about the possible imposition by the East of new bans on Moldovan products, including fruit and vegetables, and requested doubling the export quotas set earlier in the Free Trade Agreement of the Association Agreement.
Dacian Cioloş is convinced that the EU member states will agree to double the import quotas on Moldovan fruit and vegetables. “Romania and Poland will be the most affected by a doubling in quotas. But these states will not oppose such a decision because their Premiers said they are in favor of increasing the quotas,” stated the European official.
If the quotas are doubled, Moldova will be able to annually export 40,000 tonnes of apples, 2,000 tonnes of tomatoes, 10,000 tonnes of table grapes and 10,000 tonnes of plumes to the EU. Dacian Cioloş said that when the quotas were determined, the real quantities exported by Moldova were taken into account, plus 10%.
The Association Agreement also contains quotas on grains, but they are rather a warning lamp for the EU. “The EU specialists calculated the global grain production in Moldova, internal consumption and the export possibilities. Limits were set in order to prevent products from other states from entering the EU market. If these limits are exceeded, this will serve as a warning and the exporters will have to prove that their products are Moldovan,” said Dacian Cioloş.
Attending the meeting with the agricultural producers, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said there are no signals that new bans will be imposed on Moldovan agricultural products, but the authorities take preventative measures in order to avoid the difficulties experienced when Russia banned the import of Moldovan wine.
