ROMANIA AGREES TO GLOBALIZE THE ITALIAN CHEESE

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 001533

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - WILLIAM SILKWORTH
USDA PASS FAS FOR ITP/ROBERT CURTIS/BETTYANN GONZALES
SOFIA FOR AGRICULTURAL ATTACHE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR RO BU
SUBJECT: ROMANIA AGREES TO GLOBALIZE THE ITALIAN CHEESE
TARIFF RATE QUOTA



1. Bucharest's Agricultural Office received consent of
Romanian Government to globalize the remaining Italian
cheese Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) granted to Romania.


2. Romania was granted a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocation
for Italian-type cheese in the Uruguay Round for 500 tons.
Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) import
licensing regulation, licenses were issued to U.S. importers
to enter this allocation amount. The regulation also
provides that if the licensing authority determines that
imports from a country are likely to fall short of its TRQ
allocations, the remaining license balances may be
globalized for the remainder of the year.


3. To date, zero kilograms of Italian-type cheese has
entered from Romania. The GOR's consent to globalize its
quota will permit exports from other countries to fulfill
the amount of Romania's Italian-cheese 500 MT TRQ. If
supplies were to become available domestically, Romania
could still export to the United States under a globalized
TRQ allocation as long as the allocation remains unfilled.

TAPLIN