In Spain, the cost of the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), known as "Brexit", will be similar to that of the production of all greenhouses in Almeria; a figure close to 3,000 million Euro.
This conclusion has been reached, based on an internal report from the Government of Spain made public by the newspaper El País, which includes contributions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the EU. According to them, "Brexit" will incur costs for Spain fluctuating between 2,000 and 4,000 million Euro, with special reference to sectors such as the agro-food sector.
In the 2015/2016 campaign, the value at origin of Almeria's greenhouse production stood at 2,000 million Euro, while the price of the product once marketed reached 2,500 million Euro, according to a report from the Council of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development (CAPDER) of Andalusia.
According to data from the Statistical Service Estacom (ICEX-Agencia Tributaria), the value of Almeria's fruit and vegetable exports in 2016 reached 2,509.52 million Euro, of which 2,169.26 corresponded to vegetables and 340.26 to fruits.
The report, signed by the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU and with contributions from the Embassy in London and various Ministries, states that the Government of Spain will be forced straight away to provide 888 million Euro extra to the EU budget.
The Government of Spain wants the UK to have a soft exit, although based on the words of British Prime Minister Theresa May, it is unlikely for the United Kingdom to remain a part of the EU internal market.
The report notes that although the impact of Brexit will be greater for the United Kingdom, there will also be negative consequences for both the EU and Spain, seriously affecting a trade balance that has so far been clearly favourable to Spain.
Source: hortoinfo.es