EU en Noorwegen ondertekenen overeenkomst voor liberalisering handel in landbouwproducten (en)

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PRESSE 105

Signing of an agreement with Norway on agricultural products

An agreement was signed today between the European Union and Norway on further liberalisation of agricultural trade. The agreement covers basic agricultural products such as meat, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, ornamental plants and pet food. This new agreement, taken together with the bilateral trade preferences already in existence, means that more than half of all basic agricultural products will be able to circulate freely between Norway and the EU in the future.

Progressive liberalisation of agricultural trade is provided for in the 1992 agreement on the European Economic Area i (EEA), which allows Norway to benefit from the EU internal market. More particularly, article 19 of that agreement provides for regular reviews of the conditions of trade in basic agricultural products with a view to progressive bilateral trade liberalisation, since agriculture and fisheries are exempt from free movement. Talks on further liberalisation steps in this area will continue at two-yearly intervals, as provided for in the EEA agreement.