www.assuc.eu
ANNUAL REPORT 2024
- info@assuc.eu
Foreword
DearASSUCMembers
,
On behalf of the Board of ASSUC, it is with great pleasure that I commend ASSUC’s Annual Report 2024 to the national associations of sugar traders in Europe, to the member companies represented therein, and to our affiliate member companies.
For ASSUC it has been an intense year;
We have seen multiple trade issues arising over the last year, where ASSUC step in for the membership to get the right information in time and has been in dialogue with our stakeholders with Brussels policy making network.
Especially the immense export flow from the Ukraine to the EU was a major concern to our membership, and at the time of writing, this the new ATM for Ukraine has been finalised.
Also, we have been dealing with the fast pace of the EU Commission’s ambition for new regulations on horizontal issues such as sustainability, due diligence, and the environment. Here, for ASSUC it has been key to keep track of all developments and guide members in the process.
In order to be more responsive a working group on Sustainability has been installed to maintain a focus on the key challenges and address them a proper manner.
During the summer, ASSUC has moved a more suitable office close the Schuman roundabout in hearth of the EU district on Rue de la Loi.
Europe is still confronted with a devasting and heartbreaking war by Russia in Ukraine. I sincerely hope that some resolution will be found soon, as through war, the world is loses a part of itself. Meanwhile, we all need to cope with the direct and indirect consequences.
In the pages which follow, you may read in detail the many activities that ASSUC has carried out on behalf of its members. In commending this 2023/ 2024 annual report to you, our members, I ask you to join me in thanking our wonderful team at Rue de Loi for their hard work during the past years, with special thanks to our Secretary-General, Ms. Lebo Mofolo who despite joining us during the period of the pandemic, really hit the ground running.
Looking forward to meeting you, our members, in person during our General Assembly in May 2024.
Daniël KERKHOF, ASSUCPresident2023-2024
ASSUC
Mission About
•Founded in 1959, ASSUC is the voice of European SugarTraders.
•ASSUCisabletomakeitsviewsheardthroughregular contactswiththedifferentEuropeaninstitutionsaswell asotherinternationalorganisations. Theassociation’s role is to provide expertise on market issues and promote the views and good reputation of the sugar tradeonbehalfofitsmembers.
• ASSUC is officially recognised by the European institutions as the only representative body for European sugar trade and, as such, is regularly consultedonallrelevantmattersaffectingthesector.
•Besides its various representation activities, ASSUC is also the platform for cooperation, discussion and exchange of information amongst sugar trade companies in strict compliance with EU competition law.
• Today, through its membership, ASSUC represents close to 60 sugar trading companies across Europe including affiliated members in the EU and in neighbouring countries.
• To highlight and promote the professionalism of all whoworkinEuropeansugartrade.
• To represent and defend the general interests of our members.
• To inform members of developments at European level.
• To provide a networking platform for all European traders of sugar and its derivatives, be they importers,exporters,dealers,brokersordistributors.
Activities
Structure
Monitoring EU legislation and policy members, example, international trade,
of developments in the fields relevant to our for agriculture, internal market, customs, tax, sustainability, financialservices,enlargementanddevelopmentpolicy.
Ensuring a permanent link with the European institutions and with other European trade associations in the agri-foodsector.
Collection and distribution of news, information and documentation to our members on subjects concerning the agri-food sector in general and sugartradeinparticular.
Strategic advice and coordination of lobbying activities.Adoption of common positions in the name of the sugar trade where necessary. Liaison with various representatives of Member States, third countriesandinternationalorganisations.
Organisationof,andrepresentationoftheEuropean sugartradeinhigh-leveleventsandmeetings,facilitating knowledgeexchangeandnetworking.
ASSUC is led by a Board, which meets 4 to 5 times a year. The Board has full competencies in terms of managementandadministration,subjecttothemandate oftheGeneralAssembly.
Only Full Members of ASSUC are eligible to serve as members of the Board. Board members take office for two years Every two years, the General Assembly elects a President, Vice-President and Treasurer based on aproposalfromtheBoard.
The General Assembly, open to all ASSUC members, takes place once a year in Brussels. Due to measures adopted to combat the coronavirus pandemic, ASSUC exceptionally held its General Assemblies remotely in 2020and2021.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Members
Full membership
At present ASSUC has 14 full members in 15 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden), and the United Kingdom In 2023, ASSUC welcomed a new full member from Austria. ASSUC also has affiliated members in Algeria, Malta, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Full membership is open to trade associations or groups of companies established in any European country in which they represent traders (importers, exporters, dealers, brokers and distributors) in sugar and its derivatives.
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
BULGARIA
FRANCE
GERMANY
HUNGARY
ITALY
UNITEDKINGDOM
SPAIN
ROMANIA
POLAND
DENMARK
FINLAND
SWEDEN
LITHUANIA
Affiliated membership
Affiliated membership is open, under specific conditions, torepresentativetradeassociations,individualcompanies or groups of companies in Europe or outside Europe which are active in the agri-food trade in general and the sugar trade in particular and which wish to contribute towardstheobjectivesoftheAssociation.
ALGERIA
MALTA
NETHERLANDS
SWITZERLAND
Visit ASSUC website www.assuc.eu for more information on our members.
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Benefits of ASSUC membership
Receive accurate and reliable information, advice and early warning on EU regulatory developments that may impact sugar tradeorthemarketsforsugar.
Influence the European decision-making process through the provision of reliable information about sugar trade and markets, advice and lobbying activities. ASSUC’s openness with European institutions contributes to the evidence base on which policy proposals are made and hence enhances the quality of decision-making at theEuropeanlevel.
•
Exchange views and expertise and, where possible, develop common positions with other ASSUC members engaged insimilar activities.
Enjoy the networking opportunities offered by an association with a European dimension as well as accesstotheservicesandsupportofapermanentofficein Brussels.
Benefit from preferential access to internal and externalmeetingsandconferencesatEuropeanlevel.
ASSUC Board Members 2023/25
DaniëlKerkhof
NETHERLANDS AgranaRomania
BELGIUM
EmilianDobrescu
PaulKronacker
AlexDelmouly *
MarwanSoliman
Limako PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER
Group Sopex
BELGIUM IvayloMochukov ROMANIA BULGARIA ZaharniZavodi
AUSTRIA
DENMARK, FINLAND, SWEDEN, LITHUANIA
Milena Koller-Sekulic Nenad Korica *
MartinEckstrom JesperLindskog*
Pierre-Henri Dietz ** Daniel Calmejane * FRANCE
GERMANY
RobertErnstDr. StefanFeit* VincentSchlüter*
FinasucreSA/GroupeIscal
AGRANA - STUDEN Sugar Trading
Nordic Sugar
Syndicat Français du Commerce des Sucres
Verband des Deutschen Zuckerhandels e.V
HUNGARY MagyarCukorZrt.
ITALY
NETHERLANDS
GergelyKovacs
LeonardoBonsembiante
AntonioFabiani*
DaniëlKerkhof
JoostKnook*
Michał Gawryszczak POLAND
ROMANIA
SPAIN
UNITEDKINGDOM
*Substitutes
**Since2024
Associazione Nazionale Grossisti Zucchero
Limako
PAST- Polish Association of Sugar Traders
EmilianDobrescu AgranaRomania
AlejandroMartinGuerrero
JohnIreland IvoTheiss*
Asociación de Fabricantes de Azúcar de España
STAUK- Sugar Traders Association of the UK
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DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION TO ASSUC MEMBERS
Key issues 2023/24
ASSUC's Secretariat provides ASSUC members with news and regulatory developments at EU level on a daily basis. During the past year in review, the mainissuesexaminedhavebeen:
Regulatoryissues:
MarketManagement:
Monitoring the reform of the CAP and the policy environmentaftertheendofquotas;
Management of the supply and demand of sugar in the EU domesticmarket;
Regime for the import and export of sugar, expiry of licencesandnewrequirements;
Monitoring sugar imports from Ukraine and their impact on the market.
Regulatory issues:
Monitoring of possible safeguards in the MENA region.
Single CMO delegated and implementing regulations on sugar following the entry into force of Single CMO n° 1308/2013(notificationsandTRQmanagement).
Review to eliminate the anti-dumping duties and counterveiling measures in place by Canada on EU sugar exports since1995.
New CAP and post-quota regulations e.g. Trade Mechanismsandmarketmonitoring.
MonitoringthereformtotheUnionCustomsCode. UpdatestotheInwardProcessingRelief(IPR).
Trade Mechanisms.
Sustainability policies and proposals with a potential impact on sugar trade, and sugar traders.
Free trade agreements and EU trade preferences:
• EUtradenegotiationswith:
› Australia
› India
› MERCOSUR
›Mexico
›Indonesia
›Thailand
MonitoringoftheUkrainedutyfreequotafree AutonomousTradeMeasure
Preferential tariff scheme between the EU anddevelopingcountries
DevelopmentsattheWTO:
›Australia,BrazilandGuatemalavs.India
›WTOreform
Info alerts
ASSUC's Secretariat circulates email alerts as information becomes available, together with in-depth analysis on EU regulatory and policy developments, both general and sugar-specific. ASSUC members are informed without delay of the latest news and facts of vital relevance for sugar trade. As much as possible while respecting confidentiality, ASSUC members receive the original, official documents, proposals and working papersof theEUinstitutions.
EUGreenDealandFarmtoForkStrategy
- Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
-Carbonborderadjustmentmechanism
- CorporatesustainabilityduediligenceandCorporate sustainabilityreportingdirective
- EU Deforestation Regulation
- Forced labour product ban
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PublicationsintheEUOfficial Journal
ASSUCmembersareregularlyinformedofthepublications intheEUOfficialJournalregardingEUlegislationrelevant forthesugarmarketandtrading.
Reports on meetings at EU level
ASSUC's SecretariatregularlyinformsASSUCmembersof the news and regulatory developments discussed at the Sugar Management Committee, and the Management Committee on the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets ASSUC also informs members of EU developments and discussions concerning market access for sugar, through participation in the Civil Society Dialogues of DG TRADE, as well as briefing members on customs discussions at the Trade Contact Group of DGTAXUD.
EU statistics on sugar imports and exports
The ASSUC Secretariat provides all ASSUC members with the latest statistics of the European Commission on sugar imports(undertheEPA-EBAregimeandTRQs,as wellassugarpricereports)
ASSUC website
With its cutting-edge ergonomic design, the ASSUC website at http://www.assuc.eu has lightweight navigation to display clear information about the role and organization of our trade association and content of general interest. The website also incorporates a Twitter feed with 2265 followers.
ASSUC Newsletters
ASSUC's newsletter is sent out to all ASSUC members. It provides an overview of ASSUC latest activities and a background to the latest regulatory developments at EU level. ASSUC newsletter is a tool to keep members updated throughout the year and communicateontheassociation’smeetings.
REPRESENTATION OF MEMBERS’ INTEREST
Contributing to EU policy making
ASSUChaslong-standingandawell-establishednetwork in Brussels. Through its various contacts, ASSUC voices the common interests of its members towards EU policy makersandotherstakeholders.TheAssociationregularly interacts with EU public authorities and other interested parties to seek common ground for improving the functioning of the sugar market. Key priorities in 2023-2024 were:
• Renewal of the Ukraine Autonomous Trade Measure.
• Negotiationoftradeagreementsandrevisionofthe GSPRegulation
• EUmarketmanagementandmonitoringpost-quotas
• Theimplicationsforsugartradeof the EUGreenDeal andFarmtoForkStrategy
• TradeMechanisms.
• Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
ASSUC position papers and press releases
Whenever deemed necessary (e.g. when potential regulatory issues that might affect the interests of ASSUC members have been identified), ASSUC's Secretariat proposes and the Board may agree position papers and letters addressed to the relevant DGs of the European Commission, European Parliament and/or other key players.
ASSUC Sharepoint and Press Review
Since 2022, ASSUC members have benefited from a Sharepoint site where regular news updates are posted, as well as documents for ASSUC members (EU sugar market statistics, presentations and reports from meetings, etc.) Members can access important resources about ASSUC, its activities, and participate in surveys and other activities via the SharePoint. ASSUC has also distributed to all its members a weekly press review covering trade, sustainability, policy, and production news from the global sugar press.
MEETINGS AND MONITORING ACTIVITIES
ASSUC Board meetings
Duringthisperiod,ASSUCBoardMeetingswereheld onthefollowingdates:
› 23 May 2023
› 20 June 2023
› 12 September 2023
› 13 December 2023
› 20 March 2024
Themainissuesontheagendawere:
Sugar market: management of the supply and demand of sugar in the EU Market, improving the management of the CXL quotas, sugar exports, preferential imports
Ukraine and impact of sugar imports In this context, the Board held informal meetings and exchanged letters with theCommission.
In terms of administrative affairs, the Board discussed ASSUC finances, a modification of the statutes of ASSUC, and relocation to new offices at Schuman.
ASSUC 203/24
General Assemblies
ASSUC's 2023 General Assembly took place on 23 May in Brussels. The speakers were Dr Pierre Bascou, Acting Deputy Director-General, Director for Common Market Organisations for agricultural products, DG AGRI, European Commission, and Ms Madelaine Tuininga, Head of Unit, Multilateral trade and sustainable development policy, green deal in DG TRADE, European Commission. It was preceded by a Newcomer’s Event on 22 May, which saw ASSUC newcomers take part in a guided presentation and tour of the European Parliament and joint an exercise on EU lawmaking.
Sugar market Observatory
The European Commission established the European Sugar Market Observatory (SMO) with the aim to ensure market transparency as the new EU sugar policy entered into force in 2017 and to exchange views on market data, estimates and prospects for the short and medium terms. The SMO is composed of qualified experts appointed in a personal capacity as representatives of the various stakeholders in the EU, including of course ASSUC. Two experts from ASSUC have been appointed by the Commission to the SMO and have contributed to the success of the SMO by providing expert analysis and “first hand” information about the situation and prospects of the sugar markets both in Europe and internationally. The Secretariat, represented by ASSUC’s SecretaryGeneral, is also present at the SMO as an observer. Meetingsofthe SMOhavetakenplaceon:
› 15 November 2023
› 15 March 2024
Sustainability Working Group
In May 2023, ASSUC’s board approved the establishment of the Sustainability Working Group. The membership of the group was designed with a view of having a balanced representation of traders, refiners, and producers. Meetings have taken place on 19 July 2023, 9 October 2023, and 10 April 2024.
Additionally, exchanges have been held with other stakeholders, service providers, and experts, including Sourcemap (on traceability), the ACP/LDC Sugar Industries Group, and PortionPack Europe Gorup (on the Packaging And Packaging Waste Regulation).
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DG Trade Civil Society Dialogue meetings and Expert Groups
The DG Trade Civil Society Dialogue (CSD) is an importantinstrument for the exchange of views on trade policy between DG Trade officials and a wide range of stakeholders’representatives. Within the framework ofthe CSD, ASSUC's Secretariat took part in several meetingsorganised on issuessuch as the reformedGSP, agriculture trade and EU FTAs. The Market Access AdvisoryCommittee (MAAC) is organisedby DG Trade to discuss with stakeholders and Member States specific market access issues in third countries in order to find joint approaches to address these. ASSUC has, since 2021, also participated in the Trade Contact Group of DG TAXUD, dealing with technical customs issues such as special customs procedures (inward processing relief),andbroader customsregulatory issues.
- Update on EU trade negotiations with Indonesia and trade relations with other ASEAN countries – 6 June 2023
- Civil Society Dialogue meeting on EU trade policy with Sabine Weyand – 13 June 2023
- Second meeting of the CSD on the Sustainability Impact Assessment in support of negotiations with India – 16 June 2023
- Civil Society Dialogue meeting on the reform of the WTO –27 June 2023
- Final meeting of the Civil Society Dialogue on the Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of negotiations with India – 23 October 2023
- Civil Society Dialogue on Generalised Scheme of Preferences – 22 November 2023
- CSD on the impact of EU FTAs on key environmental aspects, including climate – 10 January 2024
- Debrief on the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference – 11 March 2024
Conferences
Innovation Forum Sustainable Commodities and Landscapes Forum, Amsterdam 31 October – 1 November 2023
DialogueonSustainableFoodandAgriculture,14 November2023
The2023EUAgriculturalOutlookconference,5–8 December2023
S&PPlattsEuropeanSugarConference,Geneva17–18 April2024
DG Agri Civil Dialogue Groups on sugar and international aspects of agriculture
ASSUC is recognised via SACAR under Commission decision of 3 August 2022 as the representative organisation for the import and export trade in sugar. As such, the Association is represented at Civil Dialogue Groups (CDGs) of DG Agriculture, which gather representatives of the agricultural sector (producers, industry, trade, consumers), as well as NGOs, and meets regularly throughout the year (see below). Also, ASSUC participates via SACAR in the CDG on International Aspects of Agriculturewhichtakesplacetwiceayear:
› 20 September 2023 CDG on agricultural markets – Sugar 17 October 2023 CDG on International Aspects of Agriculture 11April2024CDGonInternationalAspectsofAgriculture ›
Other Meetings
› DG TRADE
› DG AGRI
› DG TAXUD
› European Council
› European Economic and Social Committee
› European Parliament INTA &AGRI Committees
› CIBE – International Confederation of European Beet Growers
› CEFS – European Association of Sugar Producers ›CIUS–EuropeanSugarUsersAssociation
› ESRA – EuropeanSugarRefineriesAssociation
› Copa-Cogeca – Umbrella Association for the EU Farmer&Cooperatives
›
AustralianMissiontotheEU Philippines Mission to the EU ›
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The ASSUC office in Brussels
LeboMofolo
SecretaryGeneral (General enquiries, ASSUC activities, membership information,lobbying&advocacy)
Tel:+3227366873
Email: lebo.mofolo@assuc.eu
English is the working language of the ASSUCsecretariat. ContactcanalsobemadeinSpanishandFrench.
The ASSUC office is based on Rue de Trèves in Brussels, at the heart of the European Institutions between DG Agriculture andtheEuropeanParliament.
ASSUC aisbl
European Association of Sugar Traders
Ruede la Loi 155,Box10 B-1040Brussels
Tel+32(0)22310638 Fax+32(0)27326766 info@assuc.eu www.assuc.eu
ETIregisteridentificationnumber: 73074372526-61
