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1/15
In 2013 FullFact published an article on the burden of EU regulations on business. They cited a report by Business for Britain with 3,580 regulations passed between 12 May 2010 to 30 Sept 2013. Around 600 on fruit and veg. People still quote this.
fullfact.org/europe/burden-…
In 2013 FullFact published an article on the burden of EU regulations on business. They cited a report by Business for Britain with 3,580 regulations passed between 12 May 2010 to 30 Sept 2013. Around 600 on fruit and veg. People still quote this.
fullfact.org/europe/burden-…
2/
This is the report in question. Business for Britain trawled through the Official Journal of the EU flagging items they saw as burdensome to British business. I question the rigour of this study. Are all these references to fruit & veg really laws?
fullfact.org/sites/fullfact…
This is the report in question. Business for Britain trawled through the Official Journal of the EU flagging items they saw as burdensome to British business. I question the rigour of this study. Are all these references to fruit & veg really laws?
fullfact.org/sites/fullfact…
3/
Here's the top half of first page. In the table you can see three highlighted references to "establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruits and vegetables". There are 3 more on the same page.
Here's the top half of first page. In the table you can see three highlighted references to "establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruits and vegetables". There are 3 more on the same page.
4/
In total there are 807 (not around 600) instances of that phrase in the whole document. All of them appear in this table. Some of the instances are where an earlier regulation is corrected.
In total there are 807 (not around 600) instances of that phrase in the whole document. All of them appear in this table. Some of the instances are where an earlier regulation is corrected.
5/
What are these law/regulations exactly?
Well here's an example: Commission Regulation (EU) 412/2010. This is the first page. A bit boring, I know. Much of it is boiler-plate text. The important bit is on the second page.
What are these law/regulations exactly?
Well here's an example: Commission Regulation (EU) 412/2010. This is the first page. A bit boring, I know. Much of it is boiler-plate text. The important bit is on the second page.
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This is the 2nd page. It's a table with Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes for fruit & veg (oranges, cucumbers etc) then a bunch of countries and some prices per 100/kg, the Standard Import Value (SIV).
The SIV helps determine how much duty should be paid on these goods
This is the 2nd page. It's a table with Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes for fruit & veg (oranges, cucumbers etc) then a bunch of countries and some prices per 100/kg, the Standard Import Value (SIV).
The SIV helps determine how much duty should be paid on these goods
7/
Every morning someone from the Commission contacts (might be automated) various fruit and veg markets across Europe to get the latest market price on some of the 15 different fruits and veg that are subject to the EU's Entry Price System for import duties.
Every morning someone from the Commission contacts (might be automated) various fruit and veg markets across Europe to get the latest market price on some of the 15 different fruits and veg that are subject to the EU's Entry Price System for import duties.
8/
The market prices are then published on this URL circabc.europa.eu/sd/d/e1a6bbb8-…
Here's an example.
A weighted average import price (Standard Import Value) for goods originating in each country is then calculated by taking off estimated costs of transport and margin since import.
The market prices are then published on this URL circabc.europa.eu/sd/d/e1a6bbb8-…
Here's an example.
A weighted average import price (Standard Import Value) for goods originating in each country is then calculated by taking off estimated costs of transport and margin since import.
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The next day, when goods are assessed for duty, an importer can choose to use either the invoice price or the SIV from the day before.
Until May 2017 the SIV was published in the Offical Journal as a new regulation. I've not been able to ascertain why this ceased in 2017.
The next day, when goods are assessed for duty, an importer can choose to use either the invoice price or the SIV from the day before.
Until May 2017 the SIV was published in the Offical Journal as a new regulation. I've not been able to ascertain why this ceased in 2017.
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During the relevant period if the SIV or invoice price is below the Entry Price System's (EPS) trigger price (the entry price) a tariff is added that raises the price up to the trigger price. This tariff could be in addition to the MFN or preferential tariff as shown here.
During the relevant period if the SIV or invoice price is below the Entry Price System's (EPS) trigger price (the entry price) a tariff is added that raises the price up to the trigger price. This tariff could be in addition to the MFN or preferential tariff as shown here.
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For a number of countries with preferential market access, the ad valorem part of the tariff is 0% and/or the trigger price is lower. Here, for example, is the EPS for Morocco. The regular-duty is now 0% and the trigger price is reduced from €35.40/100kg to €25.90/100kg
For a number of countries with preferential market access, the ad valorem part of the tariff is 0% and/or the trigger price is lower. Here, for example, is the EPS for Morocco. The regular-duty is now 0% and the trigger price is reduced from €35.40/100kg to €25.90/100kg
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As I elaborated on elsewhere, in a study published some years ago it was found that in the vast majority of cases the number of occasions where the trigger price was breached was very few indeed, meaning the EPS part of the tariffs tariff is virtually never paid.
As I elaborated on elsewhere, in a study published some years ago it was found that in the vast majority of cases the number of occasions where the trigger price was breached was very few indeed, meaning the EPS part of the tariffs tariff is virtually never paid.
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That research is nearly 15 years old and I'm in the process of attempting to update it with more recent information scraped from the Official Journal, a job that was far more complex than I originally envisioned (thread coming on this).
However, I'm straying from the point.
That research is nearly 15 years old and I'm in the process of attempting to update it with more recent information scraped from the Official Journal, a job that was far more complex than I originally envisioned (thread coming on this).
However, I'm straying from the point.
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I would imagine that the casual reader on seeing that there are 600+ regulations about fruit and veg imagines that many are about the shape and size of the vegetable and/or what containers or ice pillows must be used etc ... The stuff of EuroMyths.
They're not.
I would imagine that the casual reader on seeing that there are 600+ regulations about fruit and veg imagines that many are about the shape and size of the vegetable and/or what containers or ice pillows must be used etc ... The stuff of EuroMyths.
They're not.
15/15
The reality is that each of those regulations is simply a report or correction of an earlier report on the current price of fruit & veg and little more.
To imply that this is 800 examples of burdensome legislation imposed on the UK by the EU is just a little disingenuous.
The reality is that each of those regulations is simply a report or correction of an earlier report on the current price of fruit & veg and little more.
To imply that this is 800 examples of burdensome legislation imposed on the UK by the EU is just a little disingenuous.
