Spain’s European Popular Group (PPE) spokesman for the Fishery Commission, Daniel Varela, asked the European Commission for explanations on the possible EU market opening to imports of transformed tuna products from the Asian countries.
The Galician Euro-delegate has presented an urgent appeal before the European Commission to clarify whether this measure “to open and manage a quota of 25,000 tons of canned tuna coming from Thailand and the Philippines, -which the EU has agreed with these countries-“ will actually take place. According to Varela, “this measure would create serious problems to the Galician canned tuna industryâ€.
Varela pointed out that this regulation implies also that the origin of the canned tuna, benefiting from the quota, is that of the final produce; therefore established by the last country in which the last transformation or substantial elaboration of the canned tuna has taken place.
The Spanish Euro-delegate protested to the European Commission that this change in policy towards the determination of the origin of the canned tuna product for a preferential duty will have serious for the canned tuna and tuna fishing, located in regions like Galicia.
Varela asked the EU Commission to inform what possible measures it considers adopting in order to avoid "this authentic hidden liberalization of the canned tuna imports from Asian countries†in regard to the fact that the packed tuna is not required to originate from local flag or EU vessels.