EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Mr. Hansen highlighted an extremely positive development for the European—and particularly the Greek—agrifood sector, specifically the table olive industry, in response to a written question from Yannis Maniatis, Head of the PASOK Eurogroup and Vice-President of the Party of European Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
The main reason for Y. Maniatis’s question to the European Commission was the concern that the same negotiating mistakes would be repeated with the EU-Mercosur agreement. Mistakes that left the European olive sector virtually unprotected against the extremely high import tariffs of Mercosur countries.
The Luxembourg Commissioner emphasizes that the EU-India agreement is a decisive step toward boosting the export potential of European agricultural products and officially confirms that the currently high and often prohibitive tariffs on table olives (up to 36%) are being fully eliminated, either immediately or over a transition period of up to seven years. Clearly, the elimination of tariffs will immediately boost the competitiveness of exports, increase producers’ income, and create new jobs in the sector.
“The ongoing fight for fair competition for Greek and European agri-food products is finally bearing fruit,” emphasizes G. Maniatis, adding“The EU is opening new trade routes for table olives, giving our producers some breathing room and strengthening the position of an iconic product of our Mediterranean diet in international markets.”
The full text of the question and answer follows:
Question for written answer E-000440/2026 to the Commission
Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure
Yannis Maniatis (S&D)
Subject: EU-India trade agreement
After nearly two decades of negotiations, the European Commission has finalized the text of the EU-India trade agreement. Based on what has been made public, this agreement is expected to be beneficial overall for the EU’s agri-food sector.
At the same time, however, certain sectors of agricultural production are expressing serious concern about the possibility of repeating mistakes similar to those in the EU-Mercosur agreement, such as the exclusion of certain products from the list of tariff eliminations. The failure to date to publish the agreed texts between the EU and India, including the aforementioned list of exports, is creating significant uncertainty and concern among European producers.
Specifically, the highly sensitive table olive sector, which has already suffered significant losses due to the U.S. trade war and was not adequately protected by the EU-Mercosur agreement according to PEMETE1, is subject to particularly high tariffs (up to 36%) on exports to India. The exclusion of table olives from the agreement’s tariff elimination list threatens both the sector’s export growth and its viability.
The Commission is asked:
1. Does it intend to clarify immediately whether table olives are included in the EU-India agreement, with provision for the complete elimination of tariffs?
2. Has the Greek Government taken the necessary steps to ensure that distortions similar to those in the EU-Mercosur agreement are avoided with regard to table olives and other agricultural products?
E-000440/2026
Answer by Mr. Hansen
on behalf of the European Commission
(March 19, 2026)
1. The EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is a major achievement for the EU agri-food sector. It will eliminate or reduce the often prohibitive tariffs on EU agri-food exports, creating huge new market opportunities for the EU, particularly for table olives and olive oils.
India will fully eliminate tariffs on table olives either upon entry into force or after a seven-year transition period, depending on the specific tariff line.
Conversely, the EU will eliminate tariffs either upon entry into force or over a period of up to five years, depending on the specific tariff subheading.
Olives are not a native crop in India, and olive production in India is very limited.
2. The Commission is not aware of the measures taken by the Greek government and invites the Honorable Member of Parliament to contact the relevant national authorities.