ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: The European Union (EU) has decided to offer “duty free and quota free access” for all agricultural exports from the World’s poorest countries.

It also decided that rich countries will give access at zero duty to at least 50 per cent of their imports from developing countries, and a “food security box” including measures to facilitate development and preserve key food security crops through a special safeguard.

These decisions were taken on Monday by the EU at Brussels, the details of which were released here by the EU local office on Tuesday. It was proposed that the new commitments be implemented over six years for developed countries and ten years for developing countries commencing in the year 2006.

The EU has also proposed the cutting of import tariffs by 36 per cent and export subsidy by 45 per cent and to reduce trade distorting domestic farm support by more than 55 per cent.

“The EU is committed to further substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support. The European Commission, therefore, proposed a 55 per cent reduction in the Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) starting from the level of commitments made in the last round of talks. To allow for rapid progress with the agreed deadlines, the current definition of domestic support and the Uruguay Round reduction method should be maintained as this guarantee that all Members will be subject to effective discipline,” the EU further maintained.

“The message today is we are pushing Doha development agenda forward across the board. We are ready to put our money where our mouth is, and we have now put forward ambitious but realistic proposals in all sectors, including agriculture, one of the most challenging for the EU,” said EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.

The EU recognises the need to ensure that developing countries fully benefit from the expansion of world trade. The key is to create opportunities for increased market access for developing countries, while recognising the importance of food security and accepting the need for the most fragile developing countries to maintain protection in order to have adequate time for adaptation.

The EU also maintained that from being primarily commodity exporters in recent years, developing countries have been progressively increasing their exports of non-agriculture goods. Today at least 70 per cent of developing countries exports consist of manufactured goods. Textiles and clothing (12 per cent) have become more important than trade in agricultural products (around 10 per cent of trade by developing countries).

The EU is already the world’s largest importer of farm products ($60 billion in 2001), the world’s largest food importer from developing countries ($38 billion in 2001) and the largest importer from poorest countries. But the sharp reductions in tariffs proposed, will give third countries an even better access to the already very good EU market, the EU statement said.