April 23, 2009
South Korea-EU FTA does not call for beef market opening
The planned Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the EU does not make Seoul obligated to open its beef market, the government said Wednesday (Apr 22).
Issues on beef imports require more negotiations on food safety, while the FTA outlines commitment to WTO guidelines, sanitary and sanitation conditions, the agriculture ministry said.
Any decision on beef imports will be determined after all variables have been reviewed, with South Korea reserving the right to stipulate additional conditions, a ministry official said.
The official said an FTA does not translate into beef market opening, citing that South Korea do not import beef from Chile and ASEAN despite its FTAs with them.
Other ministry officials said many EU countries do not have price competitiveness in beef, making it unlikely that South Korean companies will buy EU beef even if Seoul reopens the market.
Most mad cow disease cases were reported in Europe, with Britain confirming over 183,000 cases so far.
Of the 27 EU members, 23 countries are classified as "controlled BSE risk" or "negligible BSE risk" by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The two statuses allow countries to export beef without restrictions, but actual trade is determined after negotiations between governments.
South Korean officials hope to wrap up the FTA in May.
