Brussels, 18/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Copa-Cogeca gave a warm welcome, on 14 July, to the Commission Green Paper on EU policy on promotion of agricultural products which looks at a broad range of issues that need to be addressed.
Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stated that promotion of agricultural products is a key policy and has an important role to play in the future common agricultural policy (CAP). In view of the challenges to be faced by EU farmers and agri-cooperatives in future, “it will be even more crucial to promote EU agricultural products on domestic and foreign markets, in order to inform consumers about the EU's high quality goods and production standards”, he said. He insisted, however, that this was only a complementary measure and must not substitute for other CAP instruments, such as export refunds.
The Green Paper presents a series of questions on review of actions on the external and internal markets, setting up of actions in the local and regional market, the need for greater coherence with other CAP instruments, use of private brands, origin labelling, reinforcement of the multimember state approach, and simplification and acceleration of the procedure.
The chairman of the Copa-Cogeca working party on promotion policy, Christian Jochum, insisted: “Simplification of administrative procedures should be one of the major focuses of the reform. It must also highlight the high production standards which European agricultural products must comply with (production hygiene, plant health, animal health and welfare, pesticide residue control, veterinary medicine and additives and environmental standards). Furthermore, it should draw attention to the quality schemes in force in the EU.” (L.C./transl.rt)