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Out of the Strong There Came Forth Sweetness
In 2005 the EU instigated the most substantial reform to the sugar sector since the UK acceded in 1973, and just two years later, caused consternation among the ACP countries by unilaterally denouncing the 34-year long Sugar Protocol. In contrast to existing literature which has taken a snapshot of the post-reform period and identified ‘winners and losers’ within the new look regime, this article takes an historical perspective to point out the importance of institutional legacies.
It argues that the corporate concentration fostered within the sector has both shaped the nature of reform and opportunities for capital accumulation carried out in its wake. Further, it also suggests that reform was not wholly prompted by the external challenge made in the WTO, but also an assiduous attempt by the EU to press the sector into a WTO-compatible Common Agricultural Policy.
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