Source: European Parliament
1. The EU applies an Entry Price System (EPS) to 15 types of fruit and vegetables, including citrus fruits. These are listed in Annex VII to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891[1]. The Commission calculates and publishes the Standard Import Value (SIV) daily, for the respective period of application. If the SIV or import price is lower than the Entry Price, a specific import levy is applied. For the import of citrus fruits from Egypt, the EU is bound by conditions laid down in the EU-Egypt Association Agreement on agricultural, processed agricultural and fisheries products[2].
2. Entry price levels, which vary by product and period, are fixed in the EU’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) Schedule of concessions as part of the WTO Agreement and reflected in the EU’s common customs tariff. Adjusting the minimum entry price for citrus would require reopening the EU’s WTO schedule in multilateral negotiations, which is not feasible due to its complexity and potential compensation demands.
3. The Commission closely monitors the market situation, for citrus and other products, and publishes monthly data on production, prices and trade[3]. While data show that orange imports from Egypt have increased over the years, applying the safeguard clause in the bilateral EU-Egypt Association Agreement would require an investigation to determine whether imports have caused or are threatening to cause serious injury to a domestic industry. Should the Commission receive a duly substantiated request to this effect, it would assess the request on its merits and, if appropriate, initiate an investigation.