The European sugar beet sector is slowing down a bit. After months of coordinated mobilization between industrialists and trade unions, the European Commission announced the upcoming suspension of the inward processing regime (RPA) for sugar. This customs system, which made it possible to import sugar without customs duties on the condition of processing it and then exporting it, had become a source of unfair competition and pressure on prices for European producers and refiners.
Originally designed to facilitate the temporary importation of raw materials intended for processing and then export, the RPA was not specific to sugar. But since the end of sugar quotas, its use in the sugar sector has exploded. During the 2024/2025 campaign, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sugar were imported under this regime, representing a significant part of the volumes entering the European Union. This situation has created a glut of sugar on the Community market, leading to a fall in prices and a loss of value for the entire sector.
According to Guillaume Gandon, Vice-President of the CGB and President of the CIBE Economic Commission: “ The inward processing regime, which was once a flow optimization tool, has become a value destruction tool. It authorizes imports that we no longer need since the end of quotas, and the entire industry requested its suspension. We welcome Commissioner Hansen’s decision and will ensure its effective implementation. »
Recognized collective mobilization
The decision of the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, was welcomed as a strong signal by all organizations in the sector. The suspension of the RPA illustrates the ability of stakeholders to mobilize collectively on strategic issues for the future of European beet and sugar. For Franck Sander, president of the CGB, it is a “ courageous and quick decision » from Commissioner Hansen, before “ thank Annie Genevard, our Minister of Agriculture for her support: it was a request from the entire sector. »
This announcement comes after a meeting on January 23 between Guillaume Gandon, the CIBE and Commissioner Hansen, during which the destabilizing effects of the RPA on the European market were exposed. The scheme, largely unknown to the general public, had taken on a disproportionate role since the end of quotas, becoming the main mechanism for importing sugar and contributing to a loss of value for EU producers and processors.
Towards a rebalancing of markets
The suspension of the inward processing regime is seen as the first step in a “ health check » broader EU agricultural markets, according to Commissioner Hansen. The objective is to relieve the European sugar market, strengthen the competitiveness of local production and encourage processors to use more sugar produced in the Union. And Guillaume Gandon sums it up: “ We are impatiently awaiting the practical arrangements for implementing this suspension, but this first step is already a major step forward for the industry. »
