WOOD PACKAGING MATERIAL (WPM): GREECE SUPPORTS EC

UNCLAS ATHENS 000430 SIPDIS STATE FOR EB/ABT/JACANIN STATE PASS USTR/FEDCHOCK AND WHITE ROME FOR AGATT USDA FOR APHIS/KACKERMAN AND FAS/DYOUNG C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (Addressee Added) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ETRD GR SUBJECT: WOOD PACKAGING MATERIAL (WPM): GREECE SUPPORTS EC PROPOSAL REF: STATE 219755 On February 8, the Ministry of Agriculture's Secretary General for Policy, Christos Avgoulas, reported to Econcouns and FAS specialist that the Greek permrep in Brussels has been instructed to support the EC's proposal suspending the debarking requirement for one year. He mentioned that Greek cargo shippers, major consumers of U.S. wood packaging material, had expressed their concerns about the possible disruptive effects on their industry of implementing the debarking requirement. RIES