Abolition of the EU sugar quotas - what's at stake?

The European Commission has recently suggested abolishing sugar quotas in 2015. In that case, competition inside the EU will intensify, but protection against import from the world market will continue to exist. In first instance, current out-of-quota production will be redirected to the food market. In second instance, efficient producers might increase their production. Both will put internal prices under pressure and drive less competitive EU producers as well as preferential importers out of the market. Despite an increase of internal production, the total revenue of the EU sugar industry will most likely fall. The size of these effects is not clear a priori. Depending on the world market price the EU could stay an importer or become an exporter again. EU consumers, the food industry and the retail sector will be beneficiaries of the process. Beet growers, sugar factories, preferential importers, refiners and users of out-of-quota sugar will lose out.