HIGH commissioners and ambassadors of European countries assigned to Jamaica told local sugar industry officials and union representatives Thursday that they could offer no ready answers to the local industry’s concerns about the European Union’s proposal of a 39 per cent price cut on sugar imported from African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) sates.

The representatives of the six European embassies and high commissions said they could only convey the industry’s concerns to their respective governments.

“We have a fair measure of information about your concerns… there is only a limited amount that we can tell you,” said British High Commissioner Peter Mathers, in a meeting with representatives of the sugar industry and the unions that represent sugar workers.

“We really have not a clear picture as to what all the cards are here. It is a fact that ACP will continue to have preferential access to the European market,” said charge d’ affairs of the European Delegation, Ambjorn Bergund.

Bergund said, however, that the current European sugar regime was old and no longer functioned ‘well as an allocation of resources’.

The sugar and union representatives said they felt the European Union was being disrespectful to ACP states because they were being left out of the consultation process.

President of the University and Allied Workers Union Professor Trevor Munroe, accused the European Union of hypocrisy, racism and disrespect, which reflected the general position of the unions and those present at Thursday’s meeting.

He was addressing the crowd of approximately 200 placard-bearing sugar workers who had come to protest against the price cut.

“I am very conscious that you feel you are being left out of this,” said Mathers in a conciliatory tone. He said the EU did not intend to disrespect the ACP countries.

Also present at the meeting held at the British High Commission were French Ambassador Francis Hurtut; Spanish Ambassador Rafael Jover; Belgian Ambassador Herman Portocarero and German Embassy Charge d’ Affairs Maria Friedrich-Boerger.

Meanwhile, Sugar Company of Jamaica boss Livingston Morrison, said it would require £200 million and could take up to eight years to reform the local sugar industry.

After the meeting, the trade unionists and sugar industry representatives returned to the gate of the British High Commission to address sugar workers.

National Workers’ Union vice-president Vincent Morrison told the workers that next Wednesday, June 22, which is when the proposal will be formally tabled, would only be the start of the negotiations, not the end.

President of the All Island Cane Farmers Association Allan Rickards said the meeting had not achieved much. “Nothing really has changed. It was very polite.”