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The 400,000 sugar beet growers represented by CIBE produce on average just under 20 million tonnes of white sugar per year from around 2 million hectares, intended mainly for the 600 million inhabitants of the CIBE member countries. The EU is the world's third producer. It is also the world's leading sugar consumer and one of the leading importers.
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When CIBE was created in 1927, there was a sugar shortage in Europe. Since then, enormous efforts have enabled the constant development of this sector up to its present level. However, due to successive reforms in the European Union and due to international negotiations, European production has had to continually adjust to the opening of the EU market to other trade partners (ACPs, Balkans, LDCs).
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Members of CIBE are national and regional associations. At present CIBE represents sugar beet growers from 18 European beet-producing countries; this includes 160,000 growers from 16 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Sweden, the United Kingdom) as well as 240,000 growers from 2 non-EU countries Switzerland and Turkey).
CIBE represents and defends the interests of beetgrowers within the European Institutions and international organisations on fundamental issues such as:
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The EU Sugar Regulation
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The Common Agricultural Policy
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International and bilateral negotiations on free trade agreements
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Agronomic and technical beet issues
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Sugar, sugar by-products and bio-fuel market issues
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Environmental issues
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CIBE delegates meet to collect and exchange information, present and discuss problems and to draw up common positions
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CIBE represents the beet/sugar sector at the European Institutions (the Commission, the Council, & the Parliament)
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CIBE is a permanent expert observer at the EU Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations (COPA/COGECA)
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CIBE also holds a seat on the Executive Committee of the World Association of Sugar Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG)
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CIBE is a non-governmental organisation recognised by the United Nations (UNCTAD, FAO, ISO)