§ 26. Mrs. Roeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what transitional arrangements have been made to protect the horticulture industry after the accession to the European Economic Community of Spain and Portugal.
§ Mrs. FennerThe transitional arrangements for fresh fruit and vegetables have been designed to give a long period of gradual adjustment and to minimise the risk of disruption of markets. For Spain the transition period will be divided into two phases of four and six years. During the first phase, the gradual reduction of tariffs over the full 10-year period will begin. During the second phase, starting on 1 January 1990, there will be a progressive dismantling of the Community's system of minimum import prices (reference prices) on trade with Spain. During this phase the supplementary trade mechanism, under which trade levels will be monitored to ensure that markets are not disrupted by too rapid a rise, will operate.
For trade with the Canary Islands, where the common agriculture policy will not operate, separate arrangements will apply. Tariffs on some products, including tomatoes and cucumbers, will be phased out but only within quotas based on traditional trade flows; reference prices will continue to apply.
279WFor Portugal the arrangements for fruit and vegetables will be similar to those for Spain, although there is provision for variation of the length of each phase within a 10-year period.
For ornamental horticultural products, tariffs will be phased out in equal stages over seven years.