EU sets new seafood import duties, quotas for 2010-12

The Council of the European Union (EU) adopted a new regulation on tariff quotas that ensures Community supplies of seafood products for 2010-12.

This regulation will be valid from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012 and will replace current Regulation EC 824/2007.

Community supplies of certain fishery products are currently imported from third countries. As a result, the EU's self-sufficiency rate for fishery products during the last 10 years has fallen from 57 percent to 36 percent.

Since 1993, a mechanism has established a management system for tariff quotas by regulatory means which anticipates the reduction or elimination of customs duties and the implementation of a new community tariff for the import of seafood products.

An adequate supply must be provided to the EU processing industry without at the same time compromising community production. Tariff quotas must then be opened in accordance with the sensitivity of the product in question on the market, such that it is appropriate to open such tariff quotas for 2010-12.

As the 2007 regulation will expire at the end of this year, the council has adopted the necessary provisions to ensure the appropriate supply conditions for the community industry. The new regulation counts on the suspension of import duties within tariff quotas, at the rates, for the periods and up to the amounts indicated therein.

Duties are therefore suspended or reduced to 4 percent or 6 percent for the following fish for processing: cod, blue grenadier, hake, anchovies, herrings, tunas and skipjack, lobster, shrimps, prawns, squid, surimi, flatfish (flounder, sole, plaice) and Alaska pollock.