The European Commission is currently undertaking a partial interim review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of potassium chloride originating in Belarus and Russia. This product is used as a fertiliser and is an essential nutrient for food production, but prices have doubled since the measures were last reviewed. The main three European producers all have global business interests and two are subsidiaries of the same non-EU parent company which has stated that it is one of the market’s lowest-cost potassium chloride producers.
In the light of the statements made by the Community industries’ parent companies, and with regard to the doubling of potassium fertiliser prices since the last review and the additional high input prices that agricultural businesses across Europe are faced with at the moment, will the Commission give greater regard to the wider Community interest for a competitive food production industry able to source fertiliser nutrients from the most efficient world producers? Has the Commission actively contacted the representative organisations of EU agricultural businesses to assess the impact of anti-dumping duties and higher fertiliser costs?

9th February 2010 — The European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament has abstained in today’s vote on the new European Commission, saying that it cannot offer the same confidence in the new college as a whole as it has in President Barroso.

Following the vote, ECR chairman Michal Kaminski said:

“The ‘take it or leave it’ nature of the confirmation vote has meant that we must assess the college as a whole. This is lamentable because there were strong candidates who we would have endorsed, and weak candidates who we would have opposed.

“In today’s vote we have signalled our support for President Barroso, expressed our concerns about the competence of some of the new commissioners, and conveyed our criticism of the confirmation procedure.”

Robert Sturdy said:

“I accepted the ECR position to abstain. However, I have always maintained that we should be able to vote on individual commissioners rather than the whole group, and therefore my instincts were to vote against the entire commission.

“I was also disappointed that Barroso decided to move some existing commissioners when they had already established an extremely strong position in those roles.”