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Europe
EU adopts plan to reform European sugar market
2005-06-23
The European Union's executive commission has reportedly adopted a plan to reform Europe's heavily-subsidised sugar market that will sharply cut EU guaranteed prices. The AFP news agency says the plan proposes to cut the sugar prices guaranteed by the EU by 39 per cent over two years from 2007. The reform package is expected to be outlined later today by the EU's Agriculture Commissioner. The agency says it also includes a voluntary compensation scheme for sugar producers forced out of business by the price cut. The reforms come two months after the World Trade Organisation ruled EU sugar policies are illegal, in response to a complaint from Australia, Brazil and Thailand. Sugar producers reap billions of dollars from the EU's Common Agriculture Policy.
Posted by:Fred

#8  JFM, thank you for reminding me about the beet sugar. I did know about the Caribbean cane sugar and mentioned that earlier.
Posted by: too true   2005-06-23 16:39  

#7  Too true

You are wrong. Europe produces sugar. Most of it is beet sugar, but thanks to French posessions in the Caribbean, also a bit of cane sugar.

Heavy subsidies allow the european sugar to out-compete the sugar Mozambican and poor countries.
Posted by: JFM   2005-06-23 11:47  

#6  MORE SUGAR!
-- Firesign Theatre, 1971
Posted by: mojo   2005-06-23 10:11  

#5  Coke with sugar better, check.
Pecan pie with corn syrup and cream cheese, yummy.

On a serious note, price controls never do anyone any good. Let the market deside what to price things at.
Posted by: mmurray821   2005-06-23 09:33  

#4  In the US, one of the major reasons for sugar price controls is the corn-sweetener producers like ADM. If sugar prices are high, food companies use high-fructose corn syrup instead. But if you've ever had a coke made with real sugar, you know it's better.
Posted by: Spot   2005-06-23 08:52  

#3  sweet!
Posted by: 2b   2005-06-23 08:36  

#2  The EU doesn't produce sugar on the continent, (although it does in its colonies). The US does. So when pressed for reform, they suggest a commodity where dropping the subsidies will pressure the US to do the same, with asymmetrical results (i.e. harder on US producers than on theirs) IIRC.
Posted by: too true   2005-06-23 08:35  

#1  Something the US should look at also.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-06-23 07:16  

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