EU: EC proposes suspension of duty-free sugar import mechanism

Source: vtv.vn The European Commission (EC) has proposed suspending the program allowing duty-free sugar imports into the bloc, aiming to alleviate pressure on local sugar producers, amid declining sugar prices and increasing competition. However, the EC did not disclose when this measure might begin to be implemented. The Internal Processing Regime (IPR) allows businesses to import sugar into the EU with a 0% duty rate and without a quota, provided that the sugar is refined or processed into food and then exported outside the EU. Information about the potential suspension of this mechanism has encountered many mixed opinions. According to EC data, in the 2024-2025 crop year, the amount of raw sugar imported into the EU under the IPR mechanism increased by 19% compared to the previous year, reaching 587,000 tons, of which 95% came from Brazil. The amount of white sugar imported under this mechanism also increased by 5%, to 155,000 tons, with 43% originating from Brazil, followed ...