Brussels, 01/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU agricultural organisations (COPA and COGECA) called on the European Commission to make amendment of EU promotion policy a “priority”. The call was launched at a seminar on this issue at which COPA and COGECA called for “improvements to this policy to make it more effective, with increased funding”.
The seminar, The Reform of European Promotion Policy for Agricultural Products: Facing the Challenges, brought together over 100 stakeholders, leading politicians and experts to exchange ideas and open the debate on reform.
COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said: “Promotion of agricultural products is a key policy and has an important role to play in the future common agricultural policy. In view of the challenges EU agriculture will be facing in future, it will be even more crucial to promote EU agricultural products on domestic and foreign markets. An ambitious EU promotion policy will help the EU to maintain and boost its market shares in EU and non-EU countries”. Among COPA-COGECA's demands are: - simpler administrative procedures; - an improved programme selection process; - and greater transparency and better coordination between member states and the European Commission. (L.C./transl.rt)