Spain: South Africa questions EU phytosanitary measures on citrus imports

Published 2024년 10월 16일

Tridge summary

The Spanish Citrus Association, Intercitrus, is requesting a meeting with Spanish trade officials to address a WTO panel initiated by South Africa, which challenges EU phytosanitary measures for citrus imports designed to prevent pests like the false moth and black spot. Intercitrus President Celestino Recatalá stresses the importance of strong support from the Spanish Government and EU institutions to uphold these measures, citing frequent detections of black spot in South African citrus shipments to the EU. Although South Africa complies with stricter measures from other countries, it disputes the EU's regulations, claiming black spot cannot survive in the Mediterranean climate—a claim disputed by the European Food Safety Authority and experiences in Tunisia. Recatalá calls on the Spanish government to defend the current measures and expose South Africa's phytosanitary deficiencies to halt the WTO panel's progress.

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Original content

The Spanish Citrus Association Intercitrus has requested a meeting with the Director General of Trade Policy, Julián Conthe, and the Deputy Director General of Multilateral Trade Policy and the European Union, Álvaro Enrique Rodríguez, both positions belonging to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, to address the actions of the citrus sector and the Spanish Government before the panel opened within the World Trade Organization (WTO) following a complaint from South Africa questioning the phytosanitary measures established by the European Union for citrus imports in order to prevent the entry of the false moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) and the black spot (Phyllosticta citricarpa). The president of Intercitrus, Celestino Recatalá, asks for “the support of the Spanish Government and the European institutions to maintain and even reinforce the control measures” The president of Intercitrus, Celestino Recatalá, intends with this meeting to ask for “the unwavering support of ...

Source: Valencia Fruits