|
Korea will not have to import beef suspected of BSE contamination.
October 17, 2009
|
|
| Even after the Korea-EU free trade agreement takes effect, Korea will not have to import beef products suspected of having been contaminated by bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. Meanwhile, competition in the local auto market is expected to intensify as European cars gain greater access to the Korean market. But these are not the only changes that will occur here once the trade pact is approved by the legislatures of both sides. Here are several frequently-asked questions about the Korea-EU FTA, along with the answers. Q. Can beef suspected of having been contaminated by mad cow disease be imported to Korea? A. All beef imports are required to follow several layers of international guidelines and standards not only from the World Trade Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) but are also subject to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures agreement, an international WTO treaty. The OIE allows free trade of boneless beef regardless of the cow’s age once an exporting country is recognized as “risk controlled.” But the SPS treaty also allows importers to put additional restrictions on beef based on their own risk assessment principles. Officials of Korea’s Agriculture Ministry said the government will “toughen sanitary inspection measures” for countries like Britain and Ireland, which saw mad cow disease outbreaks this year. Are products manufactured by South Korean companies in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea recognized as made-in-South Korea goods? Not for now. Korean trade negotiators continued to push this item, but the EU did not accept it, meaning the products manufactured at Kaesong will not bear the made-in-South Korea label. Both South Korea and the EU have agreed to form a special committee to discuss the issue in the future, but the issue is unresolved for now. Will the non-tariff trade barriers on imported EU cars be scrapped? Non-tariff trade barriers, for example, environmental restrictions on automobiles that are tougher in Korea than those in the EU, will not be applied to made-in-the-EU cars. Korea’s environmental and safety restrictions on cars were similar to those in the U.S., meaning EU carmakers felt it would be more difficult to access the Korean market under the current restrictions in Seoul. But once the Korea-EU FTA takes effect, such difficulties will disappear. One representative at Volkswagen AG’s Korean unit said the company will be able to roll out a more diverse range of models as well as a wide range of pricing strategies. Will the products made in European countries bear the label “Made in the EU” instead of displaying the specific country of origin? No. EU trade officials pushed the issue, but the request was not accepted. Products from the EU will specify the country where they were produced. By Lee Sang-ryeol [hawon@joongang.co.kr] |
|
