The Commission has today hosted a Joint Meeting of the Civil Dialogue Group and the Sugar Expert Group, bringing together stakeholders and Member State officials to discuss the opportunities and challenges from the abolition of the EU sugar quota regime at the end of September 2017.

It followed the 2006 sugar reform which facilitated important restructuring of the sector across the EU (reducing production quotas by almost 6 million tonnes), making the sector more competitive and putting it in an economic position to move to a post-quota environment. The decision to abolish the sugar quota system - the only CAP quota regime still in place - was postponed by two years by Ministers and MEPs in the 2013 CAP Reform.

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The future of the sugar market after the abolition of sugar quotas in 2017

AGRI organised a hearing on "The future of the EU sugar market after the abolition of sugar quotas in 2017". Seven experts were invited to address Members: H. Bleckwenn, North German Umbrella Association of Sugar Beet Growers, J.-I. Senovilla, Union of Small Farmers, P. Myllymäki, MTK Sugarbeet Committee, L. Girol, European Sugar Refineries Association, P. Giry, Saint Louis Sucre, G. Tamburini, Unionzucchero and K. Nykiel, National Union of Sugar beet planters.

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The EU BSSP launches today its first e-campaign: have a look at our new video to know more about the Good Practices.

Discover our Good Practices through this beet season on our website and on Twitter #FollowTheBeet

Social dialogue Click here to download the Issue Brief on Social Dialogue

Click here to download the statement.

On the occasion of the start of the negotiations for the COP21 in Paris, the EUBSSP has prepared an Issue Brief to illustrate the contribution of the EU Beet Sugar sector to the reduction of GHG emissions.

HOW DOES THE EU BEET SUGAR SECTOR ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND HELP TO REDUCE GHG EMISSIONS?

Beet growing and processing are exposed to the positive and negative consequences of climate change which impose the development of different adaptation strategies. The greenhouse gases (GHG) – CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O – arising from beet growing and processing largely derive from the use of energy and agricultural inputs, in particular fossil fuels and fertilizers. However, beet growing is not only a source of GHG, but also a GHG sink via atmospheric carbon fixation and the sequestration of carbon in the soil, notably through the return of organic matter (crop residues). Finally, the reduction of fossil energy and of fertilizer use in both beet cultivation and processing through various good practices have led to tangible results in the reduction of GHG emissions and the mitigation of climate change.

Click here to download the Issue Brief or go directly on: www.sustainablesugar.eu

The EU Beet Sugar Sustainability Partnership (EU BSSP) has announced the launch of its first joint initiative on sustainability throughout the sector.

Click on the picture to download the Press Release:

We would like to introduce the work of the EU Beet Sugar Sustainability Partnership.

Formed in 2013 as a coalition between EU beet growers (represented by CIBE), sugar producers (CEFS) and trade unions in the food and agriculture sectors (EFFAT), the Partnership exists to demonstrate sustainability throughout the beet sugar industry in the region.

We would also like to invite you to join us for an important stakeholder roundtable in Milan on 9th September 2015.

We are now launching our first major project: the Good Practices. We developed the Good Practices to illustrate the sustainability practices in place in beet cultivation, sugar processing and our combined approach to social responsibility and dialogue with stakeholders. As we launch the Good Practices this month, we are encouraging our members, colleagues and collaborators to learn more about how we view our sustainability challenges and responsibilities, and how we are working to address the significant expectations our stakeholders have – for quality products, a sustainable and eco-efficient industry, and for responsible supply chains, to which we contribute every day, around the world.

Alongside the Good Practices, we have developed a range of additional documents and materials you might find helpful.

The following tools are available, to meet the specific needs and interests you may have:

- Overview Brochure: a succinct explanation of our aims and objectives and introduction to the Good Practices

- Sustainability Review: an overview of our sector's material impacts and issues with respect to sustainability, with a description of our approach to managing them

- Issue Briefs: a set of in-depth, issue-specific backgrouders that explore a topic of key interest, how our industry affects it, and what we are doing about it. We currently have issue Briefs available on soil and water.

- Good Practices handbook: the full, detailed Good Practices - complete with dozens of illustrative case studies and links to relevant European legislation - are available online.

In September, we will convene a workshop of experts, partners and stakeholders to discuss, debate and feed back on the Partnership and the Good Practices, and we would be delighted if you would agree to join us on 9th September. This event will be hosted by DG Agri in the EU pavilion at Expo 2015, in Milan.

Please do let us know whether we can answer any questions you might have at this stage – whether about the Partnership, the Good Practices, or the workshop. You can email us at contact@sustainablesugar.eu. We look forward to hearing from you.