§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is his policy that reforms of the Sugar Protocol and Lomé Convention should include measures to provide support for traditional suppliers of cane; and if he will make a statement. [105493]
§ Mr. FoulkesI have been asked to reply.
Negotiations on a successor to the Lomé Convention between the European Union and the 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are due to conclude next month. We expect the present trade arrangements to be extended during a transition period from 2000 to 2008. After that date, new trade arrangements will enter into force. The Sugar Protocol will roll forward unchanged but will be reviewed before the end of the transition period. We would assess the need for support measures at the time of, and within the context of, the Review of the Sugar Protocol. We recognise the importance of the sugar trade to the economies of many ACP States, and our Department has commissioned research work to consider the consequences of possible reforms of the Sugar Protocol. The work is at an early stage, but it clearly indicates that some countries will face adjustment problems. In the time up to the Review it remains vitally important that the ACP continue their own efforts to improve their competitiveness.